Canaletto: A.K.A. Giovanni Antonio Canal

My goal for this article was to obtain several examples of this artist's work and display their links for your viewing pleasure. Unfortunately I could only find a few, but that does not mean I have stopped looking and do not intend to update this article with my findings in the future. It is also my intention to display a small image, like with my other articles, for those who are not interested in surfing links. It has been quite challenging finding biographical information and examples for this eighteenth century Italian artist, but I am not one who gives up easily. Rather, this fact has only intrigued me more and compelled me to dig harder. This is what I have been able to pull together so far. It was to my great disappointment that I was unable to obtain any information from actual textbooks, but my internet findings still proved useful and interesting. Onward!

Canaletto, also known as Giovanni Antonio Canal, is an Italian painter who was born October 7, 1697 in Venice. His father, a theatrical scene painter, encouraged him to work by his side for many years before he eventually moved to Rome. His father saw him display interests in landscapes and caprices, which he ultimately became famous for. During 1746 he moved to London and stayed for ten years due to the amount of appreciation the English showed for his work.

He is best known for his sparkling views of his native city. Often times he would sketch scenes on the spot and later transform them into paintings. A camera ottica, used to help the eye focus on the area to be painted, was used diligently by this artist. This allowed for the ability of rapid sketches to be made. His specialty was the city view where, in his early work, scenes were often depicted in a moist atmosphere with dark and stormy skies. Later he incorporated rich colors with red and gold high lights to create more bright and sunny scenes. His luminous technique combined a clear and accurate attention to detail. Most of his patrons were Englishmen who wished to collect scenes of where they had been as souvenirs.

Some examples of his work include: (I'm still trying to find links for each example listed below.)
· "The Bucentaur" 1745 to 1750
· "Caprice with the Classical Ruins" 1723
· "Caprice with Colonnade" 1765
· "Interior of St. Mark's with Cantors" 1766 (Painted two years before his death. He boasted about painting it without his glasses.)

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