St John the Evangelist 1712 - 1793

This is Francesco Guardi's "St John the Evangelist," a drawing held at the SMK, made with pen and brown ink and brush and brown wash on blue paper. The artwork is a flurry of dynamic marks, almost dissolving into abstraction. The upward gaze of St. John, combined with the gestural lines suggesting divine inspiration, pulls us into the spiritual rapture of artistic creation. Guardi masterfully uses the wash to suggest depth and emotion. Notice how the light seems to emanate from the figure, highlighting his face and hands, drawing attention to the very act of writing. The bold brushstrokes not only define form but also convey a sense of movement and energy. Guardi captures a moment of intense, internalized experience through purely visual means. The very form of the drawing seems to mirror St. John's transcendent moment.