Canaletto Gallery
c. 1738
Oil on canvas, 124 x 204 cm
National Gallery, London
Send this picture as postcard
Friendly format for printing and bookmarking
The painting presents the view of the Grand Canal from the Chiesa degli Scalzi to the Fondamenta della Croce, with San Simeone Piccolo.
The church of San Simeone Piccolo, at the left, was rebuilt between 1718 and 1738 after a design by the architect Scalfarotto. It is depicted here completed, hence the dating of the painting to about 1738. Canaletto had earlier painted other versions of the same composition, including a picture in the Royal Collection which was engraved by Visentini as part of the Prospectus Magni Canalis series of prints.
This view of the upper reaches of the Grand Canal is now considerably altered by the city's modern railway station which dominates and disrupts its right side. The artist has depicted some craft plying their way across the canal, including a passenger barge at the left, but the scene is a relatively peaceful one. He seems to have been particularly preoccupied with the gently distorted mirror-image of the buildings reflected on the surface of the water.
viewer |
|
|
| Grand Canal |
| Feast Day of St Roch |
| Campo Santa Maria Formosa |
| Piazza San Marco |
| Entrance to the Grand Canal |
Looking South-West |
| Bacino di San Marco |
Biography
Bulletin Board
Renowned Art
(home)
Canaletto was a Venetian artist famous for his landscapes or vedute of Venice. A large collection of Canalettos is owned by the British Monarchy.
all artists, with thumbnails: by birth year | alphabetically
all artists: by birth year | alphabetically
artists born in the 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th century