Venice: A feast of great art

Venice is a 10,000-carat jewel set by the greatest ever goldsmith pinned to the breast of the most beautiful woman to have lived. Built out of a need for security in the turbulent world of late antiquity, it was protected by the lagoon, which also gave it political stability, and with political stability came riches, conservatism and trade. The great longevity of the serene republic and the restricted space of the island made it a mishmash of styles and architectures. The exuberant frontage plastered along the canals gives the sensation of being immersed in a grandiose opera set. It is a fabulous and wonderful and totally pleasurable explosion of culture. The physical Venice, which sucked in Ruskin and Thomas Mann and continues to charm us today, reflects the peculiarities of its geography and history — but so does its awesome painterly history. Restricted, like the city itself, by space, I have chosen representative art in a backwards journey.