Francesco Lazzaro Guardi

סִגְנוֹן: Rococo;

מקום: Venice

נוֹלָד: 1712

מָוֶת: 1793

בִּיוֹגְרַפִיָה:

A Life of Art and Decline in Venice

Francesco Lazzaro Guardi

, an Italian painter of veduta, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School, lived from October 5, 1712, to January 1, 1793. His life marked the end of an era in Venetian art, characterized by its unique blend of realism and imagination.

Early Life and Collaborations

In his early career, Guardi collaborated with his older brother Gian Antonio in producing religious paintings. This partnership lasted until Gian Antonio's death in 1760, after which Francesco focused on veduta, a style of landscape painting emphasizing the cityscape.

Francesco Guardi's early works show the influence of Canaletto, but he gradually developed a looser style characterized by spirited brush-strokes and freely imagined architecture.
His family, including his father Domenico (born in 1678) and brothers Niccolò and Gian Antonio, were also painters, contributing to the family workshop after their father's death in 1716.
Maria Cecilia, Guardi's sister, married Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, a prominent Veneto-European painter of his epoch.

Notable Works and Style

Guardi's most important later works include the Doge's Feasts, a series of twelve canvases celebrating the ceremonies held in 1763 for the election of Doge Alvise IV Mocenigo. His style, known as pittura di tocco (of touch), is characterized by small dotting and spirited brush-strokes.

Francesco Guardi's paintings evoke the onset of decline in Venice, with a focus on clouded skies above a city at dusk.
His work differs from the more linear and architecturally accurate style of Canaletto's painting, often depicting Venice in sunny daylight.
Guardi's style would later influence the French Impressionists, who prized his works for their unique blend of realism and imagination.

Legacy and Later Life

Francesco Lazzaro Guardi died at Campiello de la Madona in Cannaregio (Venice) in 1793. His legacy as one of the last practitioners of the classic Venetian school of painting endures, with his works remaining a testament to the unique blend of realism and imagination that defined this era in art.