Palace Courtyard

Francesco Guardi

Francesco Guardi - Palace Courtyard
Guardi became famous for his views of the City of Venice - be it his accurately treated vedute, or his imaginary scenes with pieces of architecture, called capriccios. This is the Prague painting, which is loosely inspired by the morphology of the courtyard of the Doge`s Palace, but also other Venetian palaces. Despite the painting`s intimate format, it shows the original brushwork of the artist, based on painting separate patches - the technique used by the Impressionists, later on. The subdued ochre and coffee-brown shades are enlivened by colour accents of red, blue and white on the clothes of the figural staffage. The rococo charm of the painting and its intimate atmosphere are complemented by the figures of a gentleman in a cloak and a lady with plumes in her hair, standing under the arches of an arcade. Guardi made several preparatory drawings for this composition, in which the theme is variously changed. The painting dates into his best creative phase; in the years to follow the productive painting studio was taken over by his son Giacomo.
date:
measurements: height 45 cm
width 32 cm
material: canvas
technique: oil
inscription:
inventory number: O 5600
gallery collection: Collection of Old Masters