Capriccio with a Statue of a Warrior and a Ruined Castle on the Shore of the Lagoon
ca. 1780–90
Medium
Pen and brown ink, gray wash
Dimensions
18 9/16 x 13 11/16 in. (47.1 x 34.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.344
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century, Venice's artistic scene buzzed with vedutisti—painters of city views—who blended reality with fantasy in *capricci*, whimsical architectural fantasies. Giacomo Guardi, son the renowned Francesco Guardi, masterfully captured this spirit in *Capriccio with a of a Warrior and ained Castle on the Shore of the Lagoon* (ca. 1780–90). This drawing, in pen and brown ink with gray, measures 18 9/16 x 13 11/16 inches and evokes the lagoon's misty allure, featuring a towering warrior statue amid crumbling castle ruins and scattered human figures. Guardi's technique shines throu...
About the Artist
Giacomo Guardi · 1764–1835
Giacomo Guardi (1764–1835) was a Venetian painter who worked in the long shadow of his celebrated father, Francesco Guardi, one of the greatest vedutisti — view painters — of the eighteenth century. Born into one of Venice's most prominent artistic families, Giacomo received his training directly from his father, absorbing both the technical methods and the characteristic style that had made Franc...