I wondered through the streets of sestiere San Polo and Santa Croce, and then crossed the wooden Ponte dell'Accademia to arrive at the Dorsoduro sestiere and the Gallerie dell'Accademia - which holds the largest collection of Venetian paintings. I climbed the stairs up to the first floor and and was amazed by the most beautiful ceiling full of carved and gilded angels interspersed with oil paintings. I was as much impressed by that ceiling as any of the paintings that I saw at the Accademia. There was so much to see here that I didn't bother taking down the names of artists/titles of paintings, I just let my eyes and camera feast on what pleased them. Many of the paintings were executed on such a huge scale that I found myself just homing in on certain details or figures.
This painting made me smile, especially the handling of the brown cow with a human-style face. I wonder what made the artist put the eyes on the front of the the face rather than to the side of the head as they should be.
I enjoyed seeing the depictions of these Renaissance era gondoliers plying their trade on the Grand Canal and comparing them to the current day real things just outside the gallery walls.
I wasn't sure if this horse was a model for one of those featured in the quadriga on the facade of St Mark's Basilica, but it was very nicely rendered.
Gallerie dell'Accademia
Campo della CaritÃ
Dorsoduro 1050
30123 Venezia
