Churches and Squares of Venice

This series of drawings depicts Venetian churches and squares (campi). It includes some of the most famous sights in the city, such as the Piazzetta and the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, as well as less obvious locations, such as San Giovanni Battista dei Battuti on the island of Murano.

The drawings are in a uniform style, carefully executed and (mostly) of a standard size. All of the compositions are derived from paintings executed by Canaletto in the earlier 1730s. Canaletto took pains to harmonise the drawings, manipulating the perspective to disguise the radically different angles of view, from ‘long shots’ of 20º to wide angles of around 120º.