Lot 2119 D α

The present view depicts the Bucintoro arriving at the Molo, in the Bacino di San Marco. The grandest and most famous Venetian view, Piazza San Marco with the Marciana Library and the Palazzo Ducale, frames one of the most beloved Venetian festivities: the Bucintoro in procession for the annual ceremony of Venice’s marriage with the sea, an event which was recurringly represented by artists from Canaletto onwards, greatly appreciated by wealthy patrons and Grand Tourists.

Born in Venice in 1802 to a family from Dalmatia, Carlo Grubacs studied painting and drawing at the Accademia di Belle Arti with Teodoro Matteini and specialized in architectural views. Grubacs reinterpreted XVIII century Vedutismo, maintaining a traditionally meticulous attention to draughtsmanship and details, to which he added a modern interest to the rendering of Venetian daily life. The preference for strong and brilliant colours and dramatic contrasts of light and shadow are hints to the Romantic inclination of the artist, who led a flourishing workshop.