Giovanni Antonio Canal - Delphi Collected Works of Canaletto (Illustrated)

Canaletto (1697-1768) Contents Delphi Classics 2016 Version 1 Masters of Art Series

He served his apprenticeship with his father and his brother, learning the occupation of a theatrical scene painter. Canaletto was inspired by the Roman vedutista Giovanni Paolo Pannini, and started painting the daily life of the city and its people. After returning from studying in Rome in 1719, he began painting in his distinctive topographical style. His first known signed and dated work is Architectural Capriccio (1723), now housed in Milan in a private collection. Studying with the older Luca Carlevarijs, a moderately-talented painter of urban cityscapes, he soon became his masters equal. The following plate, Rio dei Mendicanti: Looking South, formed part of a set of paintings from 1723, which are believed to be the artists first depicted view paintings of Venice.

The name of the original patron of the artworks has not survived, though they were first recorded in the inventory of the Princes of Liechtenstein in 1806. The striking quality of the draughtsmanship of the works has caused surprise amongst art historians, since no earlier and less accomplished canvases survive. The view depicted in the image is not a commonly depicted canal of Venice and was rarely frequented by tourists. Instead, it is the haunt of everyday Venetians, going about their usual business, evidently unaware of our scrutiny. A long pavement creates a sense of depth to the picture, running beneath the looming form of the San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti church. A fragile looking wooden bridge spans the canal water, while the Ponte del Cavallo can be glimpsed in the background.

Feathery brushstrokes and the dappled sky charge the image with a sense of tranquillity, offering a view of the city away from the hectic areas of the more populated canals. Colourful clothing, hung up on lines as washing, differentiates the palette, while additional elements add interest to the piece: a maid shakes the dirt of her broom from the second floor window to the far right of the canvas; pockets of men gather closely for what appear to be whispered conversations; an old man gingerly holds on to a wall, while gripping his walking stick with the other hand. This everyday glimpse of Venetian life characterises many of the artists earlier canvases, anticipating the style of another Venetian artist, Franceso Guardi. Detail Detail Detail Detail The Rio dei Mendicanti (Beggars Canal) is a canal in Venice forming the boundary between the district of Cannaregio and Castello. Portrait of Giovanni Paolo Panini by Louis Gabriel Blanchet. One of Paninis masterpieces: Roman Capriccio: The Pantheon and Other Monuments, 1735, Indianapolis Museum of Art

The sculpture was completed by Andrea Verrocchino in c. 1470. Canaletto also provides a view of the Scuola di San Marco, the wealthiest of the six major philanthropic fraternities of the city, in the centre of the canvas, with sunlight streaming noticeably upon it, as a diagonal line of shade slices across the far right. The piazza before the edifice is teeming with life, featuring figures from all walks of life, including beggars, merchants, a mother and child, elegant society women and a lone dog. A few boatmen stand by and talk on the steps leading down to the canal, suggesting a hiatus from the busy waterway depicted by the three different boats on a relatively small section of water. Interested onlookers stand on the bridge spanning the canal, looking down on the citys ever-changing traffic.