An artist strolls through the city. And his photographic gaze records the Venetian world, rendering it, with a wealth of details and real situations, on 69 canvases that tell the story of life in the lagoon city at the dawn of the 19th centuryIts society, still governed by ceremonies, rituals, festivals, markets, processions. A lively Venice, even if now close to its decline. It is the Venice of Gabriel Bella (1730-1799), the artist who more than any other was able to narrate the life of the Serenissima in the eighteenth century. And his works are the protagonist of the exhibition. Life is beautiful in Venice, open until next April 12th on the third floor of the Querini Stampalia FoundationThree words to describe an exhibition project: "Bella," the artist's name and the adjective. "Vita," because the exhibition is a tale of everyday life. "Venezia," which through these images reaffirms its tradition and its myth.
An engaging and suggestive exhibition, which restoring the theatricality of the Venetian world of the time suggests countless contemporary visionsOpening windows onto streets, squares, bridges, and views, situations and moments that emerge from the chronicles of the time and become images, not just historical reconstructions. That era and those situations are still alive today thanks to Bella's canvases. That with His photographic eye has contributed to reconstructing the cultural identity of the city by bringing significant places and moments back to life: a visual narrative of the lived reality, ceremonies, and daily life that animated Venice before the fall of the Republic. The exhibition suggested to the organizers of the Carnival just concluded, the choice of one of these works, The Fat Thursday celebration in the Piazzetta, for his manifesto.
1792
In dialogue with Gabriel Bella's paintings, the Querini Stampalia Foundation presents archive documents and essays on that era and those topics. It also features a selection of precious films from the Istituto Luce's Historical Archives, filmed between 1929 and 1956. These films from the last century intertwine with Gabriel Bella's distant perspectives and resonate with one another, in an interesting interplay between painted and filmed memory.
(featured photo: The Women's Regatta on the Grand Canal, oil on canvas, post 1779 – before 1792)
