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Venice City of Pictures: Martin Gayford in Conversation

Venice City of Pictures: Martin Gayford in Conversation

Renowned art critic and writer Martin Gayford talks about the history of Venice through its most important creation: pictures. The talk takes us on a visual journey through the history of the city known as ‘La Serenissima’, the ‘Most Serene’. Contrary to the perception of a decaying city, Venice has consistently reinvented itself as a prominent art hub for 500 years.

While native artists like Canaletto and Guardi specialized in capturing the essence of Venice, the city's allure extended beyond its borders. Outsiders including J.M.W. Turner, Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Howard Hodgkin and others also contributed their interpretations. In the 17th century, artists such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Inigo Jones and Velàzquez were drawn to Venice to study and draw inspiration from its masterpieces. Nowhere else have so many great artists worked, and nowhere else has been depicted by so many great painters in diverse styles and moods.

Time Period:

Various

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