View of the Grand Canal towards Rialto with Palazzo Grimani and Palazzo Manin, 1756-1760

After training in his father Domenico’s workshop and coming under the influence of Canaletto, whence his mastery of perspective, Guardi began to develop a haighly personal style of his own. He imbues Canaletto’s calm still, objective views with a nervous unrest conveyed by a shifting treatment of light which cause his figures to vibrate and the buildings to look dilapidated, conveying the charm of a city still splendid even in its twilight years.