Day 421 - Venice!


 September 1, 2025

I arrive at Gallery 644, my last, and am thrilled to discover that it displays scenes of Venice. How appropriate that the gallery is devoted to perhaps the most beautiful, unique city I know. It’s a wonderful finale. 

Most of the works are by Canaletto and Guardi, and the wall signs do a good job of explaining the stylistic differences between the two painters. In brief, Canaletto is more detailed and “realistic,” with lots of straight-edged geometric forms, Guardi is freer and more illustionistic. In circling the gallery after reading these thumbnail descriptions, it’s not hard to identify who painted what - although it helps that most of the Canalettos are on one side of the room, most of the Guardis on the other.

It’s tempting to write about a  large and authoritative Canaletto depiction of the Piazza San Marco. But instead, I chose for today’s object a smaller oil  (perhaps 28 inches wide and 18 inches high) by the same artist showing the Campo Sanat’Angelo, a large open square. The buildings are painted in various shades of tan and brown against a lightly clouded blue sky; a few figures are dressed in clothing of a darker blue.  Straight lines marking the stone pavement recede into the distance. The view is not stereotypically Venetian - no Grand Canal, no gondolas. But it reminds me of the wonderful spaces to be found in Venice when you wander only slightly off the beaten track. As such, the painting is also a fitting reminder of the treasures I’ve found in exploring this extraordinary museum.



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