Past Post: No 14 August 2018: Canaletto
A very large proportion of the scenes we have seen of C18th Venice were created by
Giovanni Antonio Canal, popularly known as Canaletto. He was born in 1697 in Venice, but resided in England for ten years of his life.2
Today in our Past Posts from 2018, you will not only meet Canaletto, but the man who purchased and amassed the greatest collection in existence of paintings and drawings by Canaletto, which he eventually donated to the Royal Collection Trust (UK). Check out the posts below to find out who he was.
You will also learn that, although Canaletto is known for his amazing scenes of daily life in Venice, Rome and London, he also created many works which were imaginary. He liked to move buildings and other structures around!
Canaletto: The Painter of Views
Canaletto got his mononym because he was the son of Bernardo Canal and Canaletto means little Canal. His father was a theatre scene painter and Canaletto started his artistic career as an apprentice in this art form.
Canaletto’s British Period
Canaletto arrived in London in 1746 and stayed for 10 years. What was London like at this time? I wonder if Canaletto was aware that the Industrial Revolution was about to start? Image: Warwick Castle 2 (canalettogallery.org)
Canaletto: Capriccio or Fact?
Learn a little more about how Canaletto created capriccio paintings which are a mixture of the imaginary and factual. Canaletto was an expert in moving buildings & inventing builings: what you see in his paintings of Venice might not necessarily be factual. Image: canalettogallery.org
Canaletto: Master Drawer and Etcher
The original marks made by Canaletto have now been seen for the first time in nearly 300 years, and have been hailed as “categorically” proving he did not trace the works using camera tricks. Image: Imaginary View of Padua (canalettogallery.org)
Credit
- canalettogallery.org
- sothebys.com