A Ruin Caprice
- Artist: Francesco Guardi
- Date: 19th century
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is "A Ruin Caprice" painted in the Italian north. It's a beautiful example of an imaginary view, known as a capriccio, which was popularized by artists like Francesco Guardi. You can see the broad brushstrokes used to describe the cloud formations and simple blocks of colour for the buildings and beach. The artist has also captured movement in the foreground figures with just a few quick flicks of the brush.
The scene itself is quite enigmatic, but it's thought that these boats may be carrying supplies to and from Venice, which had strong trading routes with mainland Italy and across the Mediterranean. This painting gives you an idea of what life was like in this bustling city centuries ago.
Note the use of oil on canvas, a common medium for paintings from this period. The 19th century saw a lot of innovation in art techniques, but here we see a more traditional approach to painting.
See it in person
A Ruin Caprice hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
