eigenlijk: Giovanni Antonio Canal

* Venetië 18.10.1697 – aldaar 20.4.1768.

Aanvankelijk was hij leerling van zijn vader Bernardo Canal, die hij theaterdecors hielp schilderen. In 1719 ging hij naar Rome en begon daar naar de natuur te werken. In 1720 teruggekeerd, maakte hij van zijn geboortestad tal van ‘vedute’ (stadsgezichten), o.a. van het Canal Grande, het Rialto en van vele kerken, die m.n. bij John Smith, Brits consul te Venetië, gretig aftrek vonden. Voor hem vervaardigde Canaletto een serie van 36 vedute en later 13 geïdealiseerde landschappen, zoals hij die in Rome vanaf 1742 ging schilderen. Driemaal reisde hij naar Engeland (1746–1750, 1751–1753, 1754), waar hij een rijk arbeidsterrein vond en o.a. gezichten op de Theems schilderde.

Zijn vroege werken vertonen vrij zware licht-donker contrasten; later klaarde zijn palet op; het licht doorstraalt weidse ruimten onder ijle luchten. Zijn laatste werken vertonen academische trekken. Canaletto liet vele, snel geschetste, haast ‘impressionistische’ tekeningen na; de interessantste biedt zijn schetsboek (Accademia, Venetië). Ook is een groot aantal etsen van hem bewaard gebleven (facs. uitg. 1976), waarin hij het licht met grafische middelen trachtte te vangen en op penseelstreken gelijkende dunne golflijnen aanbracht. Zijn manier van schilderen vond veel navolgers, maar nog meer vervalsers, die echter geen van allen zijn helderheid en intensiteit bereikten. Hernieuwde belangstelling voor zijn werk (dat zich voor een groot deel in Engeland bevindt, o.m. in de Wallace Collection, Londen) rijpte in de 19de eeuw bij schilders als Richard Parkes Bonington, John Constable en Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. Zijn neef Bernardo Bellotto wordt eveneens Canaletto genoemd.

2 Rio dei Mendicanti: Looking South. 1723. Oil on canvas. Ca'Rezzonico, Venice, Italy.

2a

Grand Canal: Looking East, from the Campo San Vio. c. 1725. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany

3 Grand Canal: Looking North-East from the Palazzo Corner-Spinelli to the Rialto Bridge. c. 1725. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany

4 Entrance to the Grand Canal: Looking East. c. 1725. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany

5 Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the Scuola di San Marco. c. 1725. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden, Germany

6 The Piazzatta± Looking North

ca 1727 Oil on Canvas / Royal Collection

30  Rome: The Arch of Septimius

Severus. 1742. Oil on canvas.

Royal Collection, UK

7 Grand Canal: the Rialto Bridge from the South. c. 1727. Oil on canvas. c. 1727. Oil on copper. Viscount Coke, Holkman Hall, Norfolk, UK.

8 Venetie San Videl en Santa Maria della Cantà

1726-30 o/c 123,8 x 162,9 cm

Grand Canal: The Stonemason's Yard; Santa Maria della Carità from the Campo San Vidal. c.1728. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London, UK

9  Piazza San Marco: the Clocktower. c. 1730. Oil on canvas. Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, MO, USA.

10 The Molo: Looking West. 1730. Oil on canvas. Tatton Park, Cheshire, National Trust, UK.

11  Riva degli Schiavoni: Looking East. 1730. Oil on canvas. Tatton Park, Cheshire, National Trust, UK.

12  Capriccio: Ruins and Classic Buildings. 1730s. Oil on canvas. Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan, Italy.

13 The Grand Canal from Campo S. Vio towards the Bacino. c. 1730. Oil on canvas.

Royal Collection, UK.

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15  A Regatta on the Grand Canal. c. 1732. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

16  The Bucintoro at the Molo on Ascension Day. c. 1732. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

17  The Arsenal: the Water Entrance. c. 1732. Oil on canvas. Woburn Abbey, UK.

18 

19  The Doge Visiting the Church and Scuola di San Rocco. c. 1735. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London, UK

20   Piazza San Marco: Looking South-East. 1735-40. Oil on canvas. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA. 

21   Entrance of the Grand Canal: from the West End of the Molo. 1735-40. Oil on canvas. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.

22 Grand Canal: Looking South-West from the Chiesa degli Scalzi to the Fondamenta della Croce, with San Simeone Piccolo. c. 1738. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London, UK.

23  The Basin of St. Mark. 1738-40, Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA 

24  The Reception of the French Ambassador in Venice. 1740s. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

25 Capriccio: View with Ruins. c. 1740. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

26 en 27  The Reception of the French Ambassador in Venice. Details. 1740s. Oil on canvas. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

28  Rome: the Arch of Constantine.       

29 Rome: Ruins of the Forum, Looking  towards the Capitol. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK neide schilderijen olie op doek 1742.

31 Capriccio: the Ponte della Pescaria and Buildings on the Quay. 1742-44. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

32 Capriccio: the Horses of San Marco in the Piazzetta. 1743. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

33  Capriccio: the Grand Canal, with an Imaginary Rialto Bridge and Other Buildings. 1740s. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, Parma, Italy.

34  Rome: The Arch of Septimius Severus.

1742. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

35 Entrance to the Grand Canal: Looking East. 1744. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

36  View of a River, Perhaps in Padua. 1745. Oil on canvas. Private collection.

37  London: Westminster Bridge from the North on Lord Mayor's Day. 1746. Oil on canvas. Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT, USA

38  London: Seen through an Arch of Westminster Bridge. 1746-47. Oil on canvas. Duke of Northumberland, UK. 

39 London: Whitehall and the Privy Garden from Richmond House. 1747. Oil on canvas. Trustees of Goodwood House, West Sussex, UK.

40  London: the Thames and the City of London from Richmond House.

1747. Oil on canvas. Trustees of Goodwood House, West Sussex, UK.

41  Warwick Castle: the South Front. 1748. Oil on canvas. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, Madrid, Spain.

42  London: the Old Horse Guards from St. James' Park. 1749. Oil on canvas. Tate Gallery, London, UK

43 London: the Old Horse Guards and Banqueting Hall, from St. James' Park. 1749. Oil on canvas. Private collection.

44  London: Westminster Abbey, with a Procession of Knights of the Bath. 1749. Oil on canvas. Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey, London, UK

45  Venice; The Piazzzetta towards the Torre del'Orologio. 1743. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

46   Capitol Square in Rome. c. 1749. Oil on canvas. Szepmuveseti Muzeum, Budapest, Hungary.

47  Warwick Castle: the East Front. 1752. Oil on canvas. City Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK.

48  London: Northumberland House. 1752. Oil on canvas. Duke of Northumberland, UK.

49 London: Greenwich Hospital from the North Bank of the Thames. c.1753. Oil on canvas. National Maritime Museum, London, UK.

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50 London: Ranelagh, Interior of the Rotunda. 1754. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London, UK

51    Old Walton Bridge. 1754. Oil on canvas. Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK.

52   Eton College Chapel. c. 1754. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London, UK.

53 San Marco: the Interior. c. 1755.

     Oil on canvas. Royal Collection, UK.

54  Capriccio: River Landscape with a Column, a Ruined Roman Arch, and Reminiscences of England. c. 1754. Oil on canvas. The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA.

55 – A View of the Ducal Palace in Venice. 1755. Oil on canvas.

         Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.

56  The Vigilia di S. Pietro. After 1755-56. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.

57 The Vigilia di S. Marta. 1755-56. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany

58 Grand Canal: Looking South-East from the Campo Santo Sophia to the Rialto Bridge. c. 1756. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.

59 The Campo di Rialto. c. 1758-63. Oil on canvas. Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, Germany.

60  Piazza San Marco: Looking South-West. 1750s. Oil on canvas. Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT, USA.

61 Piazza San Marco: Looking from the East from the North-West Corner.  en 62   Looking from the East from  the South-West Corner.

c.1760. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London, UK.    

63     San Marco: the Crossing  and

 rechts / North Transept, withMusicians singing.  

1766  Pen and ink with washes  Kunsthalle  Hamburg, Germany 

64   Capriccio of Colonade and the Courtyard of a Palace. 1765. Oil on canvas. Municipality of Venice, Venice, Italy.

65  Grand Canal Viewed from Palazzo Balbi. Oil on canvas. Ca'Rezzonico, Venice, Italy

66 The Molo, Seen from the Basin of San Marco. Oil on canvas. Louvre, Paris, France.