The Grand Canal, Venice

Although he did not begin to paint views (vedute) until he was in his mid-40s, Francesco Guardi soon became an accomplished practitioner in the genre. He was strongly influenced by the precisely rendered Venetian scenes of Canaletto and Michele Marieschi. In this work, one of his most important early cityscapes, Guardi depicted the mouth of the Grand Canal hustling with late-afternoon activity. The church of Santa Maria della Salute and the customhouse are visible on the right. The emotional tenor of Guardi’s vedute—seen here in the brooding, melancholy aura of the sky—distinguishes them from the works of his predecessors.