Cheating in Venice in the Eighteenth Century

Riva degli Schiavoni Looking East, 1730I am not much a one for traditional art, particularly landscapes, but I have long admired the work of Venetian painter Canaletto. His full name was Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697–11768) – he must have lengthened his surname to make it sound more distinguished, which is a rather amusing notion.

He is famous for depicting the humble working areas of the city, and grand scenes of the canals and palaces of Venice. Unusual for artists of the period he painted from nature, or outdoors, as opposed to in the studio. The extraordinary detail to be seen in his paintings is explained by the fact that he utilised the camera obscura, a kind of primitive projector and drawing aid. (Seems a bit like cheating to me, but he was far from the only artist to use it – the Dutch Vermeer was another famous proponent.)

The glorious light he has captured in his paintings of the Venetian canals is beautiful, and the sense of infinite space – both doing nothing to dispel the popular notion of Venice as a fairytale city.

Images from WikiPaintings.

The Grand Canal from the Campo San VioThe Molo and the Piazzetta San Marco