Gondolas 

Francesco Guardi made this drawing of gondolas using pen and brown ink with brown wash. It encapsulates the city of Venice, Italy, in the late 18th century, a place that had long been known for its unique relationship with the water. The gondola was more than mere transport; it was a symbol deeply embedded in Venice's social and political fabric. The image creates meaning through its depiction of a city where canals served as streets, and gondolas were the carriages of the elite. Guardi's Venice was a republic nearing its end. The scene we see here presents a stylized view of the city's dominant mode of transportation that doesn't shy away from reminding us of the social stratification of the time. By the late 1700s Venice's economy was in decline but its art institutions were still producing works that captured the essence of its culture. To understand art better, we must consider not just the image itself but also the society that produced it, relying on historical documents and studies to reveal the intricate connections between art and life.