A broad, sunlit square opens before the viewer, dominated at its center by the luminous façade and dome of Santa Maria Formosa. The church stands at the far side of the campo, its creamy walls and red accents sharply outlined against a pale sky, while a tall, slender campanile rises to the right, its clock face clearly visible. Figures in 18th-century dress populate the open space, some strolling in pairs, others standing alone or conversing in small groups, their shadows cast crisply on the stone pavement.

A woman in white stands in the foreground, her back turned, while a man in a brown cloak walks away from her toward the church. Dogs wander across the square, adding a note of everyday life to the scene, and a few people linger near the church entrance or along the buildings at the edges of the campo. The left and right sides of the composition are framed by tall Venetian palazzi, their windows and balconies rendered with precise, linear brushwork that echoes the architectural forms.

Light pours in from the left, illuminating the white façade of the church and the right-hand buildings, while the left side of the square remains in shadow, creating a strong contrast that emphasizes the geometry of the scene. The sky is painted in delicate gradations of blue and grey, with a few wispy clouds drifting above the dome. Details such as the statues on the church façade, the clock hands, and the distant architectural ornament are rendered with careful attention, yet the brushwork remains smooth and controlled, typical of the veduta tradition.

Perspective lines converge toward the church, guiding the gaze through the open space and lending depth to the composition. Campo Santa Maria Formosa is the work of Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, painted in the 1730s. The subject is the Venetian square of Santa Maria Formosa, with its distinctive church and bell tower, a favorite motif in the veduta genre.