The Garden of Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo

Notes from the museum

A member of a family of painters in Venice, Francesco Guardi is renowned for his lively views of the most recognizable monuments of this picturesque city and for his engaging architectural fantasies, or capricci. Wealthy travelers making the grand tour of Europe—considered an essential part of an education for upper-class men—provided an important market for such views. In this case, however, the patron was not a foreigner passing through Venice, but John Strange, who lived in the city on the lagoon as the British resident, or representative. This view of the garden of a private house in Venice was highly unusual for Guardi. On the right is the rear facade of the Palazzo Contarini dal Zaffo; the front faces the Grand Canal. The artist’s main subject here is the palace’s formal garden, a luxury in Venice’s crowded urban environment. Elegant couples stroll through the garden’s geometric parterres. Guardi’s attention to the play of light further animates the scene—a shadow cast by an unseen building in the foreground divides the composition and contrasts with the bright light reflected off the facade of the residence and the distant, shimmering lagoon on the left. These observations of light and place probably reflect the aesthetic interests of Strange, who commissioned the painting from Guardi as one of a set of four remarkably original views. Two of the four paintings show Stran

Text: Art Institute of Chicago (open access). Our full story for this work is coming soon.

Slow Look

1. The whole picture Let your eyes wander. Where do they want to rest?
2. The light Find the brightest spot. What is it showing you?
3. The edges Look at what is half cut off at the borders.
4. One small detail Choose one tiny thing and stay with it for a while.
5. The whole picture again Step back. Has it changed for you?

About Francesco Guardi

Francesco Lazzaro Guardi was an Italian painter, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School. He is considered to be among the last practitioners, along with his brothers, of the classic Venetian school of painting.

Painter profile →