The Venetian school of painting is characterized by the predominance of color and an evident sense of light, in landscapes full of poetry and feeling. Portraits, conceived on realistic lines, are sensual and theatrical in execution. Aspects peculiar to the school are a certain lack of idealism and the relative neglect of form, which were cultivated by the Florentines.

There were a few primitive painters of the school of Murano. The real beginnings of Venetian painting are exemplified by the Bellini family: Jacopo, the father, Gentile and Giovanni, his sons, and Carpaccio. The Renaissance shone in splendor with three great artists: Titian was a skilled aolorist and painter of voluptuous women and royalty; Veronese, a specialist in large mural decoration; and Tintoretto famous for his dramatic technique supported by rich and contrasting colors.

The most important artists of the XVIIIth century recalled Venice and its peculiar light grey-blue, iridescent and slightly misty colors: Canaletto, his pupil Guardi, who painted in luminous touches, Longhi, the author of intimate scenes and Tiepolo, a master decorator.