
The Piazzetta and Piazza San Marco
This set of six large views of the Piazzetta and Piazza San Marco was Canaletto’s earliest commission from Joseph Smith. They form three pairs with the principal weight of building on either left or right, and were probably planned to decorate a particular room in Smith’s palazzo on the Grand Canal. Canaletto made changes to the initial compositions set out in the six preparatory drawings (on display at the beginning of the exhibition) and during the painting process itself.
Canaletto’s early theatrical training is evident in the monumental scale of these paintings, with the daring perspective and low viewpoints. The skies are dramatic and the paint broadly and fluidly handled. Like a theatre backdrop, buildings recede rapidly into the distance. The scenes are punctuated by blocks of dark and light, the figures carefully posed like actors on a stage.
Canaletto (Venice 1697-Venice 1768)
The Piazzetta looking towards San Giorgio Maggiore
Canaletto (Venice 1697-Venice 1768)
The Piazzetta towards Santa Maria della Salute
Canaletto (Venice 1697-Venice 1768)
Piazza San Marco looking west towards San Geminiano
Canaletto (Venice 1697-Venice 1768)
Piazza San Marco looking East towards the Basilica and the Campanile
Canaletto (Venice 1697-Venice 1768)
The Piazzetta looking north towards the Torre dell’Orologio
Canaletto (Venice 1697-Venice 1768)