The Desert and the Lagoon, a film essay by Giovanni Bellini

In the fifteenth century, the Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini painted his monumental work Saint Francis in the Desert (The Frick Collection, New York City), arguably the most significant Renaissance painting in a North American collection. This experimental film essay uncovers the painting’s unexplored background and setting, putting them in relation with the abandoned and deserted islands in the Venetian Lagoon. Shooting locations include New York, Florence, Pitigliano, and Venice.