Outward Voyage of the Bucintoro to San Nicol del Lido 1788

Francesco Guardi made this oil on canvas painting, entitled "Outward Voyage of the Bucintoro to San Nicolò del Lido," in eighteenth-century Venice. Notice how the overall appearance is determined by the loose brushwork, with visible strokes everywhere you look. This wasn't just a stylistic choice; it speaks to the conditions under which Guardi and his contemporaries were working. Venice was a tourist mecca at the time, so painters like Guardi were effectively producing souvenirs at high volume. The faster you could paint, the more money you could make. The sketchy handling of the subject matter also reflects a certain attitude towards it. The Bucintoro was the Doge’s ceremonial barge, and its annual voyage was a prime opportunity for the Venetian elite to display its wealth. Guardi was capturing a scene of civic pride, but doing so in a way that also catered to the market. So, while the painting records a specific moment in Venetian history, its casual facture also speaks to the economic realities of artistic production.