The Piazza San Marco towards San Giacomo 1764 - 1835

Curator: Giacomo Guardi invites us to experience 18th-century Venice in "The Piazza San Marco towards San Giacomo," likely completed between 1764 and 1835, now residing at The Met. It's rendered primarily in watercolor. Editor: Oh, this hits a certain wistful note for me. The soft watercolors create a kind of dreamy, ephemeral version of Venice. Curator: I'm drawn to how Guardi frames the spatial dynamics. Note how the drawing methodically guides us, the rigid geometry of the buildings set against a throng of figures and vendors in a bustling central scene. Editor: You know, the muted palette and the relatively small scale almost create this feeling like looking into a snow globe – Venice captured, pristine, and perhaps a bit distant from the grit of reality. There’s a lightness, a Rococo flourish even in this cityscape. It's hard not to smile a bit when imagining what sort of tales that place would have if it were able to speak. Curator: Exactly. The application of watercolor almost feels effortless. You see how that thin application results in semi-transparency which brings a hazy Venetian quality that the Rococo truly sought out. It feels casual in nature. A perfect picturesque snapshot. Editor: Looking at the human figures populating the Piazza, it feels like each of these individual little moments—the exchanges between people, the dogs weaving about—contribute to this cohesive image of the day’s unique feeling. A slice of preserved, perfect, even idealized urban existence. Curator: And I'm quite sure those people who came across it felt similar to us today. Thank you. Editor: Indeed. It's left me wanting a grand adventure of my own!