Canaletto and His Cityscapes

Canaletto and his cityscapes

Presentation made by Emma Pucci

Canaletto (1697-1768) - Entrance to the Grand Canal from the Molo, Venice, 1742/1744, National Gallery of Art di Washington, gift of Mrs. Barbara Hutton - Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Who was Canaletto?

He was born in 1697 in Venice and died in 1768 in his hometown, from Bernardo quondam Cesare Canal e Artemisia Barbieri.

Landscape painting is the pictorial art developed especially in Venice in which panoramic images, generally urban, are painted as souvenirs, almost like postcards for foreign travellers

Giovanni Antonio Canal was a landscape painter of the 1700s.

In the last phase of his career Canaletto delved into the theme of capriccio, the art of composing landscapes by freely combining real or fantastic architectural elements and ancient ruins. The Capriccio with Palladian buildings is an oil painting on canvas (58x82 cm) by Canaletto, dating back to around 1756-1759 and preserved in the National Gallery of Parma.

How did he work

Canaletto, The entrance to the Grand Canal with the customs and the Salute church (1730ca, oil on canvas, 49.6 x 73.6 cm; Houston, Museum of Fine Arts)

The Vedutisti also made sketches from life and took precise written notes on the color of the buildings, the presence of cracks in the plaster, and the materials used for windows and balconies.

Some of his Works

the wonders of canaletto

Didascalia Canaletto, Grand Canal from Campo San Vio near the Rialto Bridge (1723; oil on canvas, 144 x 207 cm; Venice, Ca' Rezzonico, Museum of the Eighteenth Century Venice)

Canaletto, The return of the bucintoro to the pier on the day of the ascension (circa 1729; oil on canvas, 120.5 x 151 cm; Turin, Pinacoteca Giovanni and Marella Agnelli)

Canaletto, The basin of San Marco on Ascension Day, circa 1735-1741, oil on canvas, 121×182 cm, London, National Gallery

Canaletto (Venice 1697 - 1768) Date 1721 - 1724 Ca' Rezzonico Museum Location Portego of the paintings Technique Oil on canvas Dimensions 144 x 207 cm

Canaletto, “Regata sul Canal Grande”, 1730-1735. Olio su tela. Castello di Windsor, Royal Collection

A painting by Canaletto

A photo

These two images are very similar, in fact...

In Venice, they often use the views of Canaletto - and other landscape artists - to compare the level of the tides and the rise of the water.

Canaletto, The Grand Canal towards Rialto, 1723-24, oil on canvas, 144×207 cm, Ca' Rezzonico, Venice

The End

this presentation was made by emma pucci

Is a primitive camera that was placed in front of the scene. It “fixed” the image that entered it through a small hole and, thanks to mirrors and lenses, it was displayed on a flat surface. Here it was possible to follow the contours of the reflected image, obtaining a glimpse in perfect perspective. Later they defined the details and painted it.

The optical (or obscura) camera

Canaletto´s Camera