Visual Analysis of a Museum Object

On May 7, 2011, I went to the Timken Museum of art located at the southeast side of Balboa Park, San Diego. I chose a painting named “The Piazzetta at Venice” by artist Luca Carlevarijs (1663-1730 Venice). I t was very interesting painting that grabbed my attention at first. The size of painting was 38 x 76-7/8 inches, and painted with oil on canvas. The painting took half of the wall and the middle of the painting pointed directly to the viewer’s view. This painting was painted using all with colors, light, and loose brushwork. Also the painting showed the image of Venice as a city of pleasure, peaceful and livable. The painting’s composition draws the viewers into the picture, the center of Piazzetta toward a distance other parts of the city as if the viewer were on a nearby, close distance. The middle of painting is a perspectival plunge down the street into the distance. The arrangement of painting seems the composition of buildings. At the first glance, the main subject of the painting seemes likes the architecture. The secondary main subject in the painting seems like the realistic people with different costumes and the everyday details.

The monument in the center of the plaza is fully drawn on the painting but the other buildings around it were not fully drawn. Only some parts of the buildings are arranged on both sides of the painting. The highly esteemed painter Carlevarijs revealed the canvas with enormous buildings with details. According his painting, the buildings are built using ancient Greek’s style. The columns of the building on the left side on the painting are built with famous ionic deigns with scrolls and look very three dimensional. At the center of the plaza, there is very tall, colossal columns was stood, and it takes a role as a horizontal balance on the painting. On the top of the column at the far right at the painting, the winged lion is drawn. The building on the right is very interesting.

The way Caarlevarij showing the side view of the building is amazing. The details of the building are well described on the painting. The double arched columns are surrounding the large, rectangular building with extra extension on top of the columns. The design of the building also shows the easy access in and out of the place for people. The people in the around the Piazzetta are doing all different things. The painter described the democratic society during that era. Some people are selling and buying stuff to each other. Some people dressed like the nobles and some people dressed like the merchants, but the boundaries between them cannot be found in this painting showing the democratically governed city Venice.

Carlevarij’s style involved a wide range of colors and the realistic scenes with warm, golden light. The painter was not afraid of using colors in his painting. The colors of sky, cloud, and the building are breathtaking and the technique of loose brush work enhances the hue of the painting. The light flashes from the sky and illuminating center of the Piazzetta. The artist expressed the one of the ordinary day that could be seen at the Piazzetta. This might explain that the changes in social or government influenced the styles of artist. Most of the ancient or older drawings were prepared and expressed the religious, or historical themes, but Carlevarijs draw the scene what he actually could see, the civilized, peaceful ordinary day in Venice. The artist also used the environmental factors such as clouds, patterning of shades, and the weather.