Landscape - Capriccio
- Artist: Francesco Guardi
- Date: (circa) 1780
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The Courtauld Gallery
- Collection record: The Courtauld Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the *Landscape – Capriccio* by Francesco Guardi, painted around 1780. Guardi, one of the great Venetian vedutisti, is known for his loose brushwork and light-filled compositions. In this work he blends a realistic view with an imaginative element: the term “capriccio” tells us we’ll find a mix of real architecture and fanciful ruins, a playful dreamscape rather than a strict topographic study.
Notice how Guardi uses color. The sky blurs from warm ochre near the horizon to a cool cobalt higher up, giving the scene an almost ethereal depth. The foreground is dotted with trees whose foliage you can almost feel through the brush strokes—he captures the texture without crowding the canvas. The buildings are rendered with loose, almost schematic lines, suggesting a memory or an idea rather than an exact location.
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a medium that allows Guardi to layer translucent glazes for luminous effects. The canvas size is moderate, letting viewers step into the scene without feeling overwhelmed. Guardi’s signature is subtle; his hand is more about atmosphere than detail. The work is a perfect illustration of how 18th‑century Venetian painters combined travel, imagination, and the light of the lagoon to create scenes that feel both familiar and fantastical.
See it in person
Landscape - Capriccio hangs in The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House, London. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
