S Giorgio Maggiore by Francesco Guardi (1712-1793)

On the left is the famous church and monastery of S Giorgio Maggiore (built by Andrea Palladio from 1565) with its campanile (which collapsed in 1774). To the right is the Island of the Giudecca with the campanile of S Giovanni Battista and the dome of the church of the Zitelle (S Maria della Presentazione).

Guardi's views of Venice evolved from the more topographical tradition of his probable master, Antonio Canaletto. Guardi's concern was more to capture the poetry of the city and its lagoon by using flickering, nervous brush strokes and by exaggerating the atmospheric effects of its unique light.

There are at least seven very similar versions of this view painted by Guardi, probably in the early 1770s, including examples in the Wallace Collection, Penrhyn Castle, Toledo (Ohio) and the Accademia in Venice. In addition there are at least three drawings and an etching by him of this scene.

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