The Lagoon from the Fondamenta Nuove 1759

Francesco Guardi painted this oil on canvas view of the Venetian lagoon sometime in the latter half of the eighteenth century. It’s a romanticized picture of Venice, but it’s also a window onto the city’s socio-economic reality at the time. Guardi specialized in these kinds of vedute, or view paintings, which were popular with tourists and wealthy patrons. The image creates meaning through the visual codes of the picturesque - note the serene light, the bustling waterways, and the architecture. But this was also a time of decline for the Venetian Republic; the elites commissioned artworks to reassure themselves of their continued dominance and stability. At the same time, the image may be self-consciously progressive: the focus on everyday life and the absence of grand historical narratives is typical of Enlightenment thought. To better understand this artwork, we can consult historical documents about Venice at this time, including tourist accounts, economic reports, and social commentary. Art is not created in a vacuum, and its meaning is always contingent on its social and institutional context.