An Artist's Address Book: Notes on Venice's Artistic Geography

Considering that the author of the View of Venice was Venetian, the printed representation of the city can be understood as a reflection of its form in relation to its urban function, especially as experienced from within its confines. As a built-in citizen, the author is somewhat embodied in the image itself inasmuch as he conflates the topographical description with the representation of an idea of Venice as it emerges from his own lived experience. The View in its virtual spatial framework, therefore, encapsulates the transitive relationship between the artist and his habitat; it reflects the artist’s cultural capital. Based on a preliminary survey of the geographical distribution of figurative painters in Venice around 1500, chapter 4 presents methodological remarks about how we can investigate the interconnections between the urban configuration and socioeconomic networks, ones that could affect, either directly or indirectly, a painter’s creative activity.