Ennio Guardi [top]

| Painting | Year | Description | Where to see (imaginary) | |----------|------|-------------|----------------------------| | Canal of No Returns | 1949 | A dark green canal reflecting a single lantern; no human figure | Museo del Novecento, Milan (storage) | | The Restorer’s Hands | 1952 | Self-portrait as only two aged hands holding a palette knife | Ca’ Pesaro – Modern Art Gallery, Venice | | Flooded Altar | 1955 | A submerged crucifix in a half-ruined church | Private collection, London | | October, 4 PM | 1961 | A woman in black waiting on a pier; rain as vertical scratches | Guardi Archive, Venice (restored 2020) | | Last Gondola | 1973 | His final painting; a dark boat drifting toward an open lagoon | Not on public view – undergoing analysis |

“Guardi painted the silence after the last vaporetto leaves. To look at his work is to hear water lapping against stone steps — and to realize no one is coming home.” — Art critic Chiara Bellini, Il Sole 24 Ore , 2022 ennio guardi