Santa Maria della Salute

Francesco Guardi

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a grand, domed cathedral by a busy waterway. The dome and the surrounding white buildings are silhouetted against a blue sky with thin white and gray clouds. Gondolas and small boats drift across the water closer to us, with people dressed brightly in shades of red, yellow, brown, and gray. The water below the boats reflects the blue of the sky and the white of the buildings.