Canaletto and Guardi, two views of Venice

Guardi (1712-1793) began painting at a time when Canaletto was already very successful. Where Canaletto focused increasingly on perspective and almost scientific precision in transcribing the real world throughout his career, Guardi chose to return to the preference for atmospheric effects that Canaletto cultivated when he was setting out (Canaletto, La Piazza San Marco in Venice, Madrid, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum). Canaletto and Guardi, each in their own way, represented the most accomplished expression of veduta art. Which is why the exhibition has chosen to look at the major works from the two masters together: to illustrate the deep-reaching links that unite them, but also the areas where they differ.

In each of the three rooms, 2, 3 and 4, works by the two artists are put side by side on a theme-by-theme basis: St Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal, the campi and the Venetian canals. The encounter between their paintings and drawings reveals a strong relationship as well as real differences and seeks to get to the heart of their personal interpretations. In rooms 3 and 4, two other leading vedutisti join the encounter: Michele Marieschi (1710-1743) and Bernardo Bellotto (1722-1780), Canaletto’s nephew and disciple, who both played a major role in the spread and growth of veduta. Each of these artists has a strong identity and offers his own distinctive image of Venice. The Serenissima is the unfailing theme of their work, but inspires an infinite number of variations and versions, becoming a poetic object for the artists and channel for their creativity.

Aware of Canaletto’s masterful approach to perspective and his sense of staging, Francesco Guardi often found inspiration in the compositions created by his celebrated predecessor. However, he also chose to introduce subtle differences: Canaletto’s quest for natural light and the close attention he pays to detail find a contrast in Guardi’s sense of fantasy and his sensibility. Considered to be the greatest vedutisti, Canaletto and Guardi also embody the two main movements in veduta art: on the one hand, Canaletto’s scrupulously scientific meticulousness and, on the other, Guardi’s quest for emotion.