Venice, a View of San Pietro di Castello 1851

Ippolito Caffi’s ‘Venice, a View of San Pietro di Castello’ is an oil painting that captures a tranquil scene of Venice. Caffi chose to depict a timeless scene of Venetian life. Notice how the brushstrokes define the architectural forms, from the dome of the church to the leaning tower and the sleek gondolas navigating the water. The thinness of the oil paints adds luminosity, while the attention to detail shows a high degree of craft. The artwork provides insights into the city’s social life, where gondolas were an essential mode of transport, and their production relied on skilled craftsmanship passed down through generations. Here, Caffi’s interest in the everyday, with the workers in the gondolas, connects high art with the work and lives of ordinary Venetians. By focusing on material, process, and social context, we can appreciate the artwork not just as a landscape, but as a window into Venetian culture, labor, and the artistic traditions of its time.