Roman Ruins 1712 - 1793

Francesco Guardi created this ink drawing of Roman Ruins sometime in the mid to late 18th century in Venice. Guardi painted and drew many scenes of Venice, but he also turned his attention to the classical past. Here, he gives us a skeletal view of an ancient ruin. The drawing is washed with sepia ink, a common practice for Venetian artists at this time and evokes a sense of history. Venice’s own history was tied to ancient Rome. Venice was, like Rome, a Republic. Venetian elites often looked to ancient Rome as a model for their own society and form of governance. But it was also a period of decline for the Venetian Republic. Drawings and paintings of ruins became popular, therefore, both as reminders of Venice’s place in a long tradition, but also to remind viewers of the nature of political power. Understanding this requires us to look at the culture of Venice at the time, reading pamphlets and guidebooks to understand the complex relationship of Venice to its classical past.