THREE SCENES OF VENICE

San Giorgio Maggiore Venice

THREE SCENES OF VENICE

by Joan K. Yanni

During the eighteenth century it was the goal of every gentleman, and particularly every artist, to make the grand tour of Europe. The highlight of any tour was Venice, La Serenissima, with its beautiful canals and churches and bridges. Venice is made up of not one but 120 islands formed by 177 canals, connected by about 400 bridges. Since the canals serve as streets, people travel by waterbuses called vaporetti, and all supplies, from food to furniture, must be brought in by water. Tourists, then and now, sought souvenirs of their visits, and to meet this demand, a new type of painting was created: vedute, or views of the city. If the view was glorified, and became more ideal than real, it was called capriccio, or invented view. Probably the greatest masters of the vedute genre were Giovanni Antonio Canaletto (1697-1768) and Francesco Guardi (1712-1793). Less known copiers also provided what the visitors wanted.

MAG has three views of Venice on view. Two are in the second floor eighteenth century gallery: San Giorgio Maggiore,Venice, by Guardi (82.6), and View of Venice  (55.180), once thought to be by Canaletto, now attributed to an Englishman named William James. The third painting hangs in the new acquisitions gallery. It, too, is called View of Venice (2000.6); it was painted in the 19^th century by American Thomas Moran.

FRANCESCO GUARDI (1712-1793) was raised in a family of painters and worked in the Guardi studio with his older brother Gianantonio. They produced history and religious paintings, and it is often difficult to identify which of the brothers did what.  Though Gianantonio is sometimes considered the better figure painter of the two, Francesco came into his own when he began to paint scenes of Venice in the fashion of Canaletto; these were much in demand both by European tourists and by Venetians themselves. It is said that Guardi worked for a time in Canaletto’s studio, painting pictures that Canaletto had laid out and adding his own finishing touches. But Guardi had his own following, which found that his pictures captured the unique shimmering atmosphere, the light and color of Venice. Whereas Canaletto had painted architectural scenes with painstaking Realism, Guardi often added imaginary backgrounds and colorfully dressed people in boats. In MAG’s painting, cool, blue-grey tones surround San Giorgio Maggiore. The light of the open sky and the still water seem to dissolve the solid architecture of the church, which appears to float between water and sky.

The Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice

WILLIAM JAMES (active 1760-1771) was an English painter who worked in Canaletto’s studio as pupil and assistant while the Venetian was in England.. This painting is a busy one, filled with various kinds of boats crowded with figures.  His dark blue water, stirred up by the boat traffic, laps at the shore. Groups of men and women gossip on the street, a dog watches the traffic, and a woman, standing near the steps leading to the water, greets men in a boat. James exhibited in London at the Royal Academy between 176l and 1771.         

American Thomas Moran’s View of Venice is quite different from the post card vedute of Guardi or James.  It is a breathtaking, flowing work in blues and azures with sky and sea predominating. One’s first impression is that it is a painting of light. The sun, shining brilliantly through pink and white clouds, bathes the sea and the church below in shimmering light.  The buildings and clouds are reflected in the water.  On the right of the painting a group of trees and sail boats balances the scene. The whole painting glows.

THOMAS MORAN (1837-1926) was born in England and came to Philadelphia with his family at the age of seven.  His family was artistic, so his interest in art appeared early. He was an apprentice to an engraver and a landscape painter before the age of 20. The Philadelphia painter James Hamilton provided encouragement.

In 1861 Moran traveled to England to study the works of Turner and Constable. His admiration for Turner lasted throughout his life. On. his return to the U.S. he married Mary Nimmo. Though children soon followed, the sale of his paintings seemed to support the family. In 1866 they spent a year in Europe, studying Old Masters and returning to London to enjoy Turner again.  Back in the U.S. his reputation spread when he joined a geological survey group exploring the territory that became Yellowstone National Park. His paintings helped convince Congress to establish the park in 1872. He sketched everything that interested him, took notes, and went home to paint. He sold one of his works, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone , to Congress for $10,000 and it was displayed in the lobby of the Senate building. He was fascinated by new places and by travel. His next trip was with an expedition to Utah and the Grand Canyon. One of his  Grand Canyon paintings was also purchased by Congress to hang in the Senate. Subsequently he visited and painted the Mountain of the Holy Cross, the Grand Tetons, and other national landmarks, bringing scenes of the unexplored West to the public.

His first trip to Italy was in 1886. It captivated him, and he and his family returned often. He made sketches and painted watercolors, then took them back to America to paint in oil. He bought a home in East Hampton and established a studio there, where he began to do most of his work. His paintings were praised by critics here and abroad. He continued to paint Venice, contributing a Venetian painting to the National Academy exhibition every year.  (His love for Venice was proved when he bought the gondola he had been using in Italy and took it back to use in East Hampton.) Like Turner, he pictured the interplay of reflective light in sea and sky, often using recognizable architecture and inventing foreground elements. His awards for painting were ongoing.

He was still traveling and painting into his 80s; he died at Santa Barbara, California, at 89. He has been called the last of the 19^th-century romantics

Source: Curatorial files, Encarta encyclopedia.