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GIOVANNI ANTONIO
CANAL CALLED "CANALETTO"
Italian
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Canaletto
(Venezia 1697-1768)
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Zuane Antonio Canal,
Venetian painter, the son of Bernardo Canal, a well-known scenery
painter at the time. 'Canaletto' — or small canal — as he was soon
called, received his training in the studio of his father and his
brother, with whom he continued to collaborate for several years. He
became the most famous view-painter of the 18th century.
He began his career as a theatrical scene painter (his father's
profession), but he turned to topography during a visit to Rome in
1719-20, when he was influenced by the work of Giovanni Paolo Pannini.
In Rome, in his own words, 'irritated by the immodesty of the
playwrights, [he] formally foreswore the theatre,' to devote himself
entirely to painting al naturale (from nature). It is not entirely clear
what inspired him to this, but it was most likely his acquaintance with
the work, and possibly also the person, of Caspar van Wittel.
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By 1723 he was painting
picturesque views of Venice, marked by strong contrasts of light and
shade and free handling, this phase of his work culminating in the
splendid Stone Mason's Yard (c. 1730, National Gallery, London,).
Meanwhile, partly under the influence of Luca Carlevaris, and largely in
rivalry with him, Canaletto began to turn out views which were more
topographically accurate, set in a higher key and with smoother, more
precise handling - characteristics that mark most of his later work. At
the same time he began painting the ceremonial and festival subjects
which ultimately formed an important part of his work.
His patrons were chiefly English collectors, for whom he sometimes
produced series of views in uniform size. Conspicuous among them was
Joseph Smith, a merchant, appointed British Consul in Venice in 1744. It
was perhaps at his instance that Canaletto enlarged his repertory in the
1740s to include subjects from the Venetian mainland and from Rome
(probably based on drawings made during his visit as a young man), and
by producing numerous capricci. He also gave increased attention to the
graphic arts, making a remarkable series of etchings, and many drawings
in pen, and pen and wash, as independent works of art and not as
preparation for paintings. Meanwhile, in his painting there was an
increase in an already well-established tendency to become stylized and
mechanical in handling. He often used the camera obscura as an aid to
composition. In 1746 he went to England, evidently at the suggestion of
Jacopo Amigoni (the War of the Austrian Succession drastically curtailed
foreign travel, and Canaletto's tourist trade in Venice had dried up).
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For a time he
was very successful painting views of London and of various
country houses. Subsequently, his work became increasingly
lifeless and mannered, so much so that rumours were put
about, probably by rivals, that he was not in fact the
famous Canaletto but an impostor. In 1755 he returned to
Venice and continued active for the remainder of his life.
Legends of his having amassed a fortune in Venice are
disproved by the official inventory of his estate on his
death. Before this, Joseph Smith had sold the major part of
his paintings to George III, thus bringing into the royal
collection an unrivalled group of Canaletto's paintings and
drawings. Canaletto was highly influential in Italy and
elsewhere. His nephew Bernardo Bellotto took his style to
Central Europe and his followers in England included William
Marlow and Samuel Scott.
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