View of the Piazzetta near the Square of St Mark, Venice

View of the Piazzetta near the Square of St Mark, Venice from 1827 is one of Bonington's finest Venetian scenes. The Piazzetta was the ceremonial entrance to Venice from the sea, and Bonington captures its architectural grandeur with the luminous, atmospheric quality that made his Venetian views influential for subsequent generations of painters. Characteristic of Bonington's approach, the work displays luminous, atmospheric color, fresh alla prima technique, watercolor-influenced oil handling. Bonington's death at twenty-five was mourned across Europe as the loss of perhaps the most naturally gifted painter of his generation—Delacroix called him 'a painter in the full force of the term.'

The monumental architecture is rendered with precise perspective while the atmosphere is conveyed through transparent glazes, creating Bonington's characteristic effect of structures shimmering in warm Venetian light.