Skip to Main Content

Audio Stop 213

00:00 00:00
Dozens of men with several women and a few children gather in pairs or small groups across a sun-drenched plaza in front of a domed church next to a long, pale pink building in this horizontal painting. The people’s faces and hands we can see have pale, peachy skin. The men wear hats and shin-length capes or jackets over stockings in tones of charcoal gray, olive green, butterscotch yellow, black, and brown. The women wear black capes covering their heads and long, full skirts. The ash-brown plaza has two zones where geometric patterns are picked out in a lighter, oatmeal brown. Three coral-red flagpoles are spaced along the center of the plaza parallel to the two buildings. Each flagpole rests on an olive-green base about a third of the height of the pole. Tables under open umbrellas clustered around the outer two flagpoles display piles of cloth, and a few people gather around the wares. The domed building extends into the scene from the left edge of the painting, and reaches about a third of the way across as it angles away from us. It has a central portal with nested arches, flanked to each side by a pair of slightly smaller, arched portals. Scenes against gold backgrounds appear in the archway of each of the five doors. There is a second level of arches above. The smaller arches to either side are decorated with more scenes of people against gold backgrounds. Four gold horses stand atop the central, lower arch, each with one front and one back hoof raised. The arch behind them is dim, the back side of a stained-glass window. The stone of the arches and front of the building are light brown. The upper arches are lined with pale, slate-gray spires and curling tracery. The three-story pink building sits close by to our right, extending into the distance on the same angle as the church, and as tall as its neighbor. The lowest level is a series of open, pointed arches. The second level is also a row of arches, but more closely spaced. People walk and stand under both covered walkways. The top half of the building has a carnation-pink façade with seven windows evenly spaced across its width. The central window is surrounded by carved stone ornament. Along the right edge of the painting and closer to us than the large buildings is the corner of a two-story building. The lower level is in shadow under a sloping awning, creating a merchant’s stall, and the second level has a rounded, arched window. One person stands at the front corner of the roof and looks down into the square. In the narrow gap between the row of buildings to our left and the smaller structure to our right is a winged lion atop a tall column. Beyond that is sparkling blue water with several masted ships and long, narrow gondolas. The sky above has thin white clouds against a pale blue sky. The artist signed the lower left, “A.C.F.”

Canaletto

The Square of Saint Mark's, Venice, 1742/1744

West Building, Main Floor — Gallery 31

摄影师Sam Youkilis和策展人兼意大利和西班牙绘画负责人Eve Straussman-Pflanzer探讨Canaletto对18世纪威尼斯的不朽描绘,以及威尼斯的今昔对比。

Read full audio transcript

讲解员:
这幅画描绘了威尼斯最著名的两座建筑——圣马可教堂和粉红色的总督宫。附近的一些小摊子上,人们在仔细选购驰名天下的威尼斯特产布料。画家卡纳莱托擅长描绘风光,于1744年前后完成了这幅画。年轻的英国富家子弟常常会在环欧“壮游”期间订购卡纳莱托的画作为旅游纪念品。我叫伊芙·施特劳斯曼-普夫兰策尔,在意大利与西班牙绘画部担任策展人兼负责人。

伊芙·施特劳斯曼-普夫兰策尔:
这些富家子弟通常会收藏年代较为久远的艺术品,包括古希腊、古罗马雕塑以及文艺复兴时期之类的早期绘画。不过他们也会委托卡纳莱托一类的当代艺术家创作艺术品。

讲解员:
卡纳莱托的画作记录了威尼斯的建筑奇迹与社会娱乐活动(如运河与贡多拉)。买家回到阴冷多云的英国之后,就能在家里凭着这些画回味之前的见闻。这些画也让从未游历过威尼斯的人一睹其景观和氛围。卡纳莱托常常会选取比肉眼视野略广的特殊视角,让画中的风景与细节更加丰富。  

当然,如今我们只要上网快速搜索一下,就能找到无数威尼斯的图片。尽管随着时代变迁,旅游纪念品从绘画和明信片变成了个人相机乃至手机拍摄的照片,但是这些纪念品的主题始终是同一批景点,它们集中体现了威尼斯的内涵与灵魂。

萨姆·尤克里斯:
我叫萨姆·尤克里斯,我是一名摄影师,来自纽约市。目前我的工作需要在意大利和纽约之间往返。

我觉得威尼斯尤其有趣的地方在于,它是观光客最常造访的目的地之一,也是意大利乃至全世界拥有最多照片和故事的名城之一。  

讲解员:
萨姆身为旅游摄影师,始终在尝试采用出人意料、与众不同的新颖拍法记录威尼斯的名胜古迹。

萨姆·尤克里斯:
看着这些美好的货摊与商贩让人心情愉快。我还能记忆鲜活地回想起,我在几周前走进这片广场,一路上看到一家家咖啡馆摆着大同小异的椅子。这些露天咖啡馆疯狂朝外扩张,边界上的服务生也都穿着大同小异的漂亮制服,手拿菜单,使用各种语言招呼过往行人,争取让人留下坐坐。

我觉得用以上的形式向游客展示城市形象跟画里的感觉天差地别。画里的氛围安静多了,美感倍增,更能还原威尼斯本来的样子,也更适合反映一个地方的面貌。
 

博物馆西馆藏品精选