Venetian Landscape Paintings

I spent a few hours yesterday (April 4, 2015) at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.  Most of that time was spent looking at early Italian painting and paintings by the Dutch masters in the west wing of the main floor.

The Fortress of Königstein

I fell in love with several landscape/architecture paintings by Venetian masters.  Mostly from this gallery. 




It's hard to say exactly what I found so enthralling.  I think part of it was the incredible detail and true to life color and shadowing.  Before photography it must've been important to be as accurate as possible in many situations.  The other thing that was very interesting was the views of everyday life at the time the paintings were done.

Here is a list of the landscapes I liked most.

• Fanciful View of the Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome
• The Porta Portello, Padua
• Interior of the Pantheon, Rome
• The Square of Saint Mark's, Venice
• Entrance to the Grand Canal from the Molo, Venice
• The Campo di SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice 
• Interior of Saint Peter's, Rome 
• The Fortress of Königstein 
• Grand Canal with the Rialto Bridge, Venice