Capriccio with Roman Ruins

While the idyllic, imaginary subject matter of this large composition is typical of Venetian paintings, drawings, and prints of the mid- to late eighteenth century, it is Guardi's realization of such drawings that ranks them as great feats of artistic virtuosity. Here, the landscape is articulated with a stunning immediacy and economy of mark, suggesting a light-filled space that gradually and magically dissolves into the far distance of the white paper. The ruin of an ancient Roman triumphal arch at the center more or less frames another, more complete building-a small, pedimented temple-behind it. The artist seems to have considered cropping the composition at left, after having drawn it, by ruling a line in graphite at the proposed cut and smudging some wash over the undesired forms to minimize them. The quick manner of summing up the contours of the forms with jittery, broken lines and the extensive use of underdrawing in graphite are among the hallmarks of Guardi's drawing style.