Rialto Bridge, Venice

Follower of Francesco Guardi

National Gallery of Art

From a point of view over the water, we look across a bustling canal at a stone bridge, which is flanked by rows of buildings to each side in this horizontal painting. At the center of the composition, the bridge is supported by a wide arch, and the two halves of the deck angle down and to the left and right from a high point at the center. Another arch topped with a triangular roof marks the high point, and buildings line the deck to the left and right. Touches of red, white, yellow, pale blue, and brown suggest people walking along the deck under awnings. The waterway is tinged marine green along the bottom of the painting and lightens to sky blue farther back. Gondolas and small boats that crowd the canal are steered by people using long poles. Many of the boaters wear pale-colored clothing, and some boats have curved black covers. Four, five, and six-story buildings line the canal on both sides and continue into the distance beyond the bridge. The buildings are tightly packed with tall, narrow windows and muted red, yellow, and tan-colored facades. Laundry hangs from some windows and ledges. In the top third of the composition, a few wispy clouds blend into the pale blue sky. Dozens of people walk or stand along the waterfront to the right or work on boats pulled up to the walkway lining the canal to the left. The scene is loosely painted, especially in the people and the more distant architecture.