It is fitting that an exhibition of the work of Canaletto (1697–1768) and his Venetian contemporaries should be held in the gallery of Her Majesty the Queen, for the British royal family holds the largest collection in the world of their work. On display along with Canaletto’s famous depictions of the canals are the drawings and paintings of many of his contemporaries, notably those of Sebastiano Ricci (1659–1734), who specialized in religious and historical scenes, and his nephew Marco Ricci (1676–1730), who was a gifted caricaturist as well as a fine painter of landscapes. The title—“the Art of Venice”— is amply justified.
Venice, with its canals, churches, and palaces, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. From at least the early eighteenth century it has been a prized tourist destination for the peoples of northern Europe. In the eighteenth century, the nobility and the wealthy went there not just for its beauty, but for its entertainments, its carnivals, masked balls, street theater, gambling halls, opera houses, and brothels. For the cultivated, Venice was part of the Grand Tour that also took in Rome, Florence, and Naples. When the well-heeled visitors came, they wanted to purchase as well as admire art.
Venice, with its canals, churches, and palaces, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
It is from this world that Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, perhaps the best-known portrayer of the city at that time, emerged. Canaletto’s father painted theatrical scenery