GIOVANNI GRUBACS Venice, 1829 - Pula, 1919 Venice, Grand Canal with the Salute Church Signed Giov Grubacs lower right Oil on canvas, 52X74 cm Provenance: Turin, private collection In the beautiful view of the Grand Canal with the Salute Church, Grubacs opens his gaze to the vast expanse of the lagoon. The diagonal perspective guides the eye along the canal, where the façades of the palaces are reflected in the water and the gondolas glide slowly under a clear, pearly light. The brilliant palette, playing on blue, ochre and mother-of-pearl tones, elegantly restores the transparency of the air and the softness of the reflections on the water. In this view, Grubacs' Venice is not only described, but interpreted as a place of the soul, where light becomes the protagonist and symbol of a romantic and contemplative feeling. The balance between perspective construction and light vibration makes this work a pinnacle of the artist's production, and one of the most fascinating examples of 19th century Venetian painting.