Italian painter, etcher and draughtsman. He was the most distinguished
Italian view painter of the 18th century. Apart from ten years spent in
England he lived in Venice, and his fame rests above all on his views (vedute)
of that city; some of these are purely topographical, others include
festivals or ceremonial events. He also painted imaginary views
(capriccios), although the demarcation between the real and the invented
is never quite clearcut: his imaginary views often include realistically
depicted elements, though in unexpected surroundings, and in a sense
even his Venetian vedute are imaginary. He never merely
re-created reality. He was highly successful with the English, helped in
this by the British connoisseur JOSEPH SMITH, whose own large collection
of Canaletto’s works was sold to King George III in 1762. The British
Royal Collection has the largest group of his paintings and drawings.
Canaletto Piazza San Marco:
Looking East from the South
West Corner 1760
Oil on canvas, 45 x 35 cm
National Gallery, London
Grand Canal: Looking North-East toward the Rialto
Bridge
c. 1725
Oil on canvas, 146 x 234 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden
Entrance to the Grand Canal: Looking East
c. 1725
Oil on canvas, 65 x 98 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden
Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the Scuola di San
Marco
c. 1725
Oil on canvas, 125 x 165 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden
San Giacomo di Rialto
1725-26
Oil on canvas, 95,5 x 117 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden
Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the Scuola di San
Marco
1726
Oil on canvas, 90,5 x 136 cm
Private collection
The Grand Canal near Santa Maria della Carita
1726
Oil on canvas, 90 x 131,5 cm
Private collection
La Punta della Dogana (Custom Point)
1726-28
Oil on canvas, 46 x 62,5 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
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