CARL IVAR GILBERT

(American, 1882-1972)

ST. MARK’S SQUARE WITH SANTA MARIA DELLA SALUTE BEYOND

Gouache on Paper

15 x 22 Inches

Signed Lower Right

Known particularly for his fine landscapes, Carl Ivar Gilbert studied in New York in the late 19th century and painted both there and in Italy in the first half of the twentieth century.  In this exceptionally lyrical use of a difficult medium, Gilbert manages to turn the gouache to a panoramic view of the Piazetta that embraces in perfect perspectival unity both the structural solidity of the Mole with Santa Maria della Salute in the distance and the dynamic activity of the figures and the pigeons in the foreground. This unusually fresh and panoramic view of a familiar scene includes a corner of the palace and the tower with the lion of St. Mark, the patron saint of Venice, rising above the scene.

Reference:

1971 Year Book, Grand Central Art Galleries; The Artists Bluebook, Dunbier, 2005, p.479; Davenport’s Art Reference Guide, 2003/4 Edition, p. 834; Commanducci Universal Art Dictionary; et al.