The Grand Canal with Santa Maria della Salute

In this painting Marieschi painted a frontal view of Santa Maria della Salute, one of the city’s most famous churches. It was built on the banks of the Grand Canal, the main thoroughfare for the boats and gondolas which were the city’s normal means of transport. Marieschi’s style is direct and faithful to reality, with the picturesque figures drawn from both the humble and aristocratic classes of the city. Thus we see gondolas conveying the wealthy in their finery next to barges transporting goods, such as the one on the left with its working men on board.