Paintings in the Collection of Henry Clay Frick, 1915 [page 39]

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FRANCESCO GUARDI (1712-1793) VIEW OF GRAND CANAL, VENICE AND CANAL SCENE, VENICE

NONE of these scenes is a sunny and brilliant view of a part of the Grand Canal. The order depicting a festival, with racing gondolas, is taken from a lower part of the Grand Canal. The end of the Rialto is seen in the middle distance. The exquisite detail of both pictures, but especially that of the brighter one, is thoroughly characteristic of Guardi. These pictures originally belonged to Mr. J. Strange, British Minister at Venice, 1774-84. He left them to his nephew, the Rev. C. Nares, D. D.,and at Dr. Nares' death in 1841 they passed to his daughter, Lady Henry S. Churchill, from whom they came into the possession of her nephew, the Rev. G. Cecil White. Francesco Guardi was a pupil of Canaletto, whom he almost outranked in reputation. Many of his paintings are now accredited to Canaletto, notably some of those in the museum at Naples. His execution is generally less precise than that of his master and less exact in the architectural details in which both excelled, but his paintings are brilliant and rich, and his coloring forceful. Like Canaletto, he restricted himself to views of his native city, which furnished him with all the needful variety of picturesque and beautiful effects of light and water with which he has embellished his works. 39 GW

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