Francesco Guardi

(Venice 1712-1793)

A capriccio of a fire in the Venetian lagoon

Footnotes

PROVENANCE
Heinamm Collection, Milan
Brunelli Collection, Milan
Moizzi Collection, Milan
Private Collection, Milan

LITERATURE
J. Byam Shaw, The Drawings of Francesco Guardi, London, 1951, p. 78
A. Morassi, Guardi: l'opera completa di Antonio e Francesco Guardi, Venice, 1973, pp. 261, 439
A. Morassi, Guardi: tutti i disegni di Antonio, Francesco e Giacomo Guardi, Venice, 1975, p. 157
A. Morassi, Guardi: i dipinti, Milan, 1993, pp. 261-262, 439


Besides his famous Venetian views, Francesco Guardi produced a large series of capricci and it is generally thought that Guardi's genius is best expressed in this genre. By removing familiar Venetian buildings from their distinctive surroundings and placing them in imaginary settings, Guardi captured the mood and atmosphere of Veneto life. Amongst the painter's traditional capricci it is possible to isolate a small group of compositions in which the 17th century Dutch and Flemish models are reinterpreted in a modern light: the present painting is a rare example of these thematic variations. The dramatic lighting created by the flames which spread from the buildings and which are reflected in the water of the lagoon is possibly the main interest of the painter, as is already evident in the preparatory drawing (Kupferstichtkabinet, Berlin).

Guardi rarely dated his work and it has been difficult to establish a chronology, but the present painting seems to belong to the later production of the artist, when the painter seemed to systematically research light in its intensity and vibrations. The subject is possibly influenced by the fire which affected San Marcuola in December 1789, drawn and painted by Guardi on several occasions.