BISON, Giuseppe Bernardino
(b. 1762, Palmanova, d. 1844, Milano)

View of the Arsenale, Venice

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Gouache on paper, 148 x 197 mm
Private collection

Bison was a versatile artist, excelling as a decorative scene painter for theatrical designs and decorative schemes for villas, and as an easel painter of Venetian vedute. He produced numerous small paintings in gouache of Venetian scenes including real views, scenes of everyday life and fantasy landscapes.

The gouache shown here depicts an accurate and detailed view of the entrance to the Arsenale, a large complex of shipyards and armouries, and for centuries the symbol of the military and economic power of the Venetian Republic.