In the 16th century, Venice rivaled Rome and Florence as the center of European art, and fierce creative competition roared between family workshops—the Bassanos, the Tintorettos—before a long decline. Then came the 18th century, a second golden age, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo’s dazzling decorative frescoes, his son Domenico’s humorous scenes from contemporary life, Rosalba Carriera’s luminous pastel portraits, and Canaletto and Guardi’s glistening vedute of the Grand Canal. The Legion of Honor is presenting more than 30 drawings and prints spanning both periods, drawn from its own holdings and shown in dialogue with “Monet and Venice,” currently on view across town at the de Young. —Elena Clavarino