Francesco de Guardi Biography - Infos for Sellers and Buyers

Francesco de Guardi

Venedig 1712 - Venedig 1793

Next to artists such as Bernardo Bellotto (1722-1780), Giovanni Antonio Canal, also known as Canaletto (1697-1768), or Gabriel Bella (1730-1799), Francesco Guardi counts among the most important 18th century painters who rendered the beautiful Italian city of Venice. In doing so, these artist did not merely focus on an exact depiction of buildings, plazas and canals, moreover, they gave accounts of the splendid festivities that took place in the city on the lagoon. The magnificent atmospheric pictures have given the observer an idea of Venice's glory in the Settecento up until today.
Francesco Guardi, protagonist of city and festivity views, was a son of the city. Born in 1712, he was blessed with artistic talent from the cradle on, for his father Domenico was also active as a painter. While his early oeuvre was dominated by religious subjects, Francesco Guardi soon discovered the artistic value of the Venetian Lagoon. It is particularly his renderings of festivities, which Francesco Guardi executed up until his death in 1793, that particularly stand out from his Venice illustrations.
Francesco Guardi's mastery has many faces, with a great love for the detail he depicted people, places and events, he showed great poise in perspective as well as in the usage of a subtle and atmospheric coloring.