Canaletto

Giovanni Antonio Canaletto (1697-1768) is one of the most popular of all oldaster painters. His views of Venice and London are much celebrated anddmired. Canaletto began his career as a scene-painter with his father andis early work, such as the Architectural Capriccio of 1723, reflects thisraining. Unlike most of his fellow artists, Canaletto was interested inepicting the world around him, but he was more than a mere recorder of themazing scenery of Venice or of Georgian England. He had the power, in theords of one of his contemporaries, to paint so that "the eye is deceived andruly believes it is the real thing it sees", and his insight and technicalkills were so dazzling that it was thought he must rely on some sort ofptical apparatus.;His first views of Venice were painted around 1725 fortefano Conti of Lucca. Soon after he came into contact with Joseph Smith,ritish Consul in Venice, who was to become his most important patron.hrough Smith's influence, he came to England between about 1746 and 1756uring which time he painted many London scenes including views of