Canaletto

Italian, 1697 - 1768

Birth PlaceVenice, Italy

Death PlaceVenice, Italy

SchoolAGOArtists

BiographyCanaletto trained under his father, Bernardo Canal, a theatrical painter. In 1719-20, he accompanied his father to Rome, where he began his career as a topographer. There he learned picturesque composition from Panini's arrangements of Roman ruins. After returning to Venice, he began to paint views for an eager market that disappeared when the War of Austrian Succession stemmed the tide of foreign visitors to Venice. The British Consul in Venice, Joseph Smith, who had secured many of Canaletto's commissions, stepped into the breach; it would appear that Smith commissioned the thirty-one etchings made between 1741 and 1744, which were dedicated to him by the artist. These remain unsurpassed in the history of veduta etching for their light and colour, brilliance of line and expressive power. Other than these, Canaletto made only one or two etchings.

He frequently brought imagination into play in the actual location of details, rearranging them at times to improve his composition. Moreover, he sometimes created views that caught the form and flavour of Venice, but which were totally imaginary. These two categories of landscape composition are called vedute ideate or idealized views, and capricci or imaginary views.

Canaletto's etching style was based on the open line and strong chiaroscuro of Marco Ricci and Luca Carlevaris. Using long, trembling parallel lines that sandwich the light, Canaletto captured the vibrant Venetian sunlight and the cool, dark shadows of the buildings.

Person TypeIndividual

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