Francesco Guardi, View of the Venetian Lagoon with the Tower of Malghera

This is one of Guardi’s most serene paintings. The summery Venetian sky and the water of the lagoon merge almost seamlessly, broken only by a softly painted landscape and a few buildings. You can sense the tranquillity of the early morning and the warmth of the sun as it begins to rise on the horizon.

The tower of Malghera, a relic of the city’s ancient fortifications that was demolished in the mid-nineteenth century, lay on the edge of the lagoon near Mestre. But the focus here is on nature and the peaceful mood, not this man-made structure. Among the expanse of blue haze are little boats with tall, spiky masts that would barely support a sail. Local fishermen go about their business – there is little sense of sound or movement, other than that of men drawing nets in the quiet water. With a few light-handed flicks of his brush, Guardi captured the white sail of a vessel far out on the lagoon and the figures washing clothes or fishing on the strips of land that jut into the water.

Guardi created thin, almost transparent layers of paint, with feathery brushstrokes and pale tones to evoke the shimmering quality of the light. When Guardi began to paint views during the 1750s he emulated Canaletto’s smooth, polished style, but soon moved to a more free-handed approach. His buildings have none of the solidity and firm outlines characteristic of Canaletto’s mature style. But this composition is, in fact, taken from a loose sketch by Canaletto which Guardi has replicated closely – he only introduced a few additional details. However, Canaletto responded very differently to this scene in his painting, depicting an up-close view of the tower suffused with a rich, golden light, and with each detail carefully observed.

Guardi was the last of the great Venetian view painters, and his influence can be traced through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Turner’s romantic views of Venice are also composed mostly of sky and water, with a few incidental details to catch the viewer’s eye. Guardi delighted in capturing the fluctuating effects of light in the lagoon and often revisited the same views of the city at different times of the day and during different weather conditions. This practice had a lasting impact on the paintings of Monet, particularly his views of a water-lily pond – it’s likely that Guardi’s work inspired his visit to Venice in 1908.