Giovanni Antonio Canaletto
(1697-1768)

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Ponte di Rialto
 

Giovanni Antonio Canaletto was an 18th century Italian artist. He learned to paint from his father, Bernardo Canale, and travelled with him to Rome in 1719. While in Rome, Canaletto sketched ancient ruins that would later become the basis of many of his works. He held his first public exhibition in 1720, which found great success. He found many Italian patrons and English collectors that helped Canaletto to build his career, and he often catered to the tastes of the English market. He painted landscapes, portraits and genre scenes, though it was his landscapes that brought him notoriety.

Plaza de San Marcos, Venice
 

Rio dei Mendicanti
 

One of his most importrant patrons was an Englishman named Joseph Smith, who lived in Venice. Through the aid of Smith, Canaletto sold a large collection of his work to King George III, and by the 1730's, the demand for Canaletto's work was so high that he hired studio assistants. Canaletto later moved to London and painted views of the Thames. He moved back to Rome in 1751 and was elected to the Venetian Academy of Fine Arts in 1763. Canaletto died of fever at the age of 71, and today, his works are still widely displayed in public and private collections throughout Europe.

Old Washington Bridge Over the Thames
 

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