![Francesco Guardi - View of the Venetian Lagoon with the Tower of Malghera [c.1770s] by Gandalf's Gallery](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/6832570014_e3af488e74.jpg)
Francesco Guardi - View of the Venetian Lagoon with the Tower of Malghera [c.1770s], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.
Among the most famous later works of Guardi are evocations, almost in the manner of Whistler, of the landscape and atmosphere of his native Venice and its surroundings. The tower of Malghera, a relic of the ancient fortifications of the city and demolished in the early 19th century, lay on the edge of the Venetian lagoon near Mestre. In Guardi's painting nature is more evident than the work of man. The tower and the fishing boats in the foreground form the two focuses of the composition which is principally a study of the water of the lagoon and a clouded Venetian sky.
[Oil on wood, 21.3 x 41.3 cm]