The gondola has inspired a lot of artists, it is possible to learn that from the high number of literary works and paintings about Venice where she very often appears as protagonist. Through these works it is possible to follow the life of the gondola and the gondolier. From the XV to the XVII centuries the first gondolas are found on maps and perspective views where they appear while racing, flowing along the canals and parading behind the Bucentaur, as an unfailing completion for those panoramic pictures.
Erhart Reuwich, with his perspective view of Venice, dating 1486, can be considered one of the first to immortalize old gondolas in St. Mark's basin.
No doubt the most famous engraver was Jacopo de' Barbari who, in 1500, represented the boats of the time in the birds eye perspective map which has become famous for its minute accuracy in any detail.
Many other artists present their perspective maps, among them Giacomo Franco's, dating 1597, and Giuseppe Heinz' the young's, dating 1650, are worth mentioning.
As to painting, the first painting showing a gondola is dated 1494, it is by Gentile Bellini (1429-1507) and is part of the cycle "Miracle of the Cross relic" followed by 'i teleri' (the canvassers) by Vittore Carpaccio (1455/56- 1525/26) and by Giovanni Mansueti (1485-1527), work of art where it is already possible to notice an evolution of the celebrated boat since we shift from the still primitive gondolas by Bellini to Carpaccio's ones who often paints a gondolier too, the latter can be easily singled out thanks to his clothes.
It is an extremely hard task to list and describe all the paintings about gondolas and gondoliers, therefore, the following are examples touching the topic with a special painting view.
Tintoretto (Jacopo Robusti 1518-1594) in his "Arsinoe's deliverance", better known as "The gondola allegory", kept at Dresden's gallery, depicts an inlaid and gilded gondola. In "Queen Cornaro's arrival" by Aliense (Antonio Vassilacchi 1556- 1629), a gondolier stands out; in "Henry III's arrival" by Vicentino (Andrea Michiel 1539-1614), a gentleman's suite is looking at the king of France's landing with a gondola procession. In "Alexander III and doge Siani's meeting" by Francesco Bassano (Francesco Da Ponte 1549-1592), the gondolas are crowded against the small square bank, arising noisy scenes among the gondoliers. Leandro Bassano (Leandro Da Ponte 1577-1622) too, depicts two gondoliers in the background of doge Pasquale Cicogna's portrait. In the XVIII century the gondola comes out in all her splendour thanks to Venetian panoramic view painters, first of all Canaletto and Guardi followed by the engravers Domenico Lovisa, Coronelli, Michele Marieschi, Gianfranco Costa, Gianbattista Brustolon and others who often crowd with gondolas their landscapes. With Giandomenico Tiepolo (1727-1804), in "The leaving of a gondola" they look like the present ones and their drivers are wearing costumes made up of a sky blue or yellow or red beret and white stockings.
In almost every picture by Canaletto (Giovanni Canal 1697-1768) it is possible to notice that the typical Venetian boats are an important element since, even in the tangle of boats, gondolas and gondoliers are always distinct.
The most representative among the painters belonging to that large group is Francesco Guardi (1712-1793) who, by means of the magical touch of his brush, can express the deepest poetry. His masterly care of every character is especially found in his gondoliers. His masterpiece "Lagoon", a small canvas dedicated to a gondola whose gondolier, tired with a long crossing, is rowing with a stoop.
Among the past artists, Gabriele Bella can be forgotten, his works , collected at Querini Stampalia gallery, are true documentaries about uses and customs of the period. He portrayed the gondoliers who won XVIII century regattas.
Many other artits gave homage to the most peculiar boat in the world, among them: Turner, Bonington, Caffi, Faretto, Monet, De Pisis...
The gondola was able to arise poetic and literary emotions of writers who wrote numberless hymnus and work in praise of that inimitable boat with such a romantic structure.
Once again it is difficult to mention all virtuoso writers therefore, what follows is just a short list of the most important of them.
The French Michel de Montaigne, in his "Memories", dating 1580, describes his manyfolds journey to Venice, getting thrilled when remenbering the moments he passed along the Grand Canal on a gondola.
A lot of writers and poets visited Venice in that century and they all shared a similar enthusiasm while exalting that wonderful boat.
Wolfang Goete, in 1786, so expresses himself: "This gondola resembles a cradle gently rocking...".
Goldoni by means of a gondolier's mouth praises the watermeans:
But in this blessed country of ours where good taste and wealth reign truth and freedom are appreciated more than vanity and delight. Do you want to be seen? Well, take a ferry, get on a boat at once If you are tired, go on a boat and stay there | lie down and sleep: confortably as in a bed you can wander night and day read, drink, eat, do anything; lbut the coach is not like that; you jolt in it and you can't hear a single word. |
The gondola has been both a messanger and a witness to great loves and an accomplice to numberless love affairs, an example is provided by Pompeo Molmenti's words: "Shelter of sweet sins, helper of painting loves".
A vernacular poet, Antonio Lamberti (1757-1832) is remembered for his "Biondina in gondoleta" (The little blond girl in a small gondola), music by Simon Mayr , a song known and sung all over the world. Pietro Buratti (1772-1832), too, can catch the poetry inspired by the gondola and writes the song "La barchetta" (the small boat), misic by Giovan Battista Perucchini, sung by the people. In the final lines one can notice how the author describes the 18th century gondolier, but we must state that the famous oarsman has been the same in the course of centuries:
The night is beautiful, make haste Nineta my lass, let's go on a small boat to freshen up. Tony moves his oar carefully. | He doesn't look, he can't hear he is a man of wax as a simpleton or a blockhead, he can row keeping pace. |
Pietro Pagello (1807–1898), writes the famous Barcarolle, music by poi dal maestro Morolin, dedicating it to famous French writer George Sand, real name Aurora Dupin Dudevant, her lover:
Do not torment yourself with melancholic thoughts: come with me, let's get on a gondola, let's go out at sea. We'll go past the ports and isles that surround the town, there the sun dies, without clouds, and the moon will rise. This breeze which plays twith your hair | is not dusty by wheels and horses either. The oar which rock us does not feel muted, as the cracks of whips as the people's yells, if the Greek dreamed perhaps they had seen, in a gondola as beautiful as your. |
In every century somebody exalted both gondola and gondolier, Riccardo Selvatico (1849-1901) poet, counsellor of the municipality and then mayor of Venice, in his Venetian lyric masterpiece "La regata" (The regatta), quotes with emphasis all boats, giving a special tone to gondolas.
Ettore Bogno (1873-1955), a vernacular poet, with his “La gondola vecia” (The old gondola), dedicated the gondola melancholic lines:
On a 'rio' (stream) flowing into Grand Canal chained to an iron ring, in the shadow of a palace, for many month an old worn out gondola has been. The iron is rusty, as a bolt, with no floor boards or rowlock either, cwith broken elements | forlorn by everybody. Yesterday, a stronger wave shattered her into pieces on the 'rio'... thus in this world a lot of good people toil and suffer for many year... one day they disappear... and it's all over |
Many other famous artists such as: Albano Baldan, George Byron, Bepi Larese, Raffaele Michieli, Domenico Varagnolo and Richard Wagner were also inspired by the famous boat.
Diego Valeri and Aldo Palazzeschi, real name Aldo Giurlani, should be mentioned among the modern writers who dealt with the gondola , the latter wrote: "Nowadays the gondola is an expression of art and poetry: it is the soul of Venice”.