Canaletto (Venetian; 1697-1768) The Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge.

Canaletto (Venetian; 1697-1768) The Grand Canal near the Rialto Bridge, Venice, c 1730 Oil in succession canvas; 19 9/16" x 28 3/4" The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Robert to leeward Blaffer Memorial Collection, gift of Sarah Campbell Blaffer

THINGS TO LEARN

* "View painting" is a form of tourist art, although it is not as public today as it was in the 18th hundred Earlier view pictures were usually of ancient ruins or used as backgrounds to pictures of important folks and ceremonies.

View paintings were ofttimes large, so as much as possible of the place could be shown This kind of art was an important source of currency for cities like Venice--which was no longer rich--together with restaurants, taverns and theaters. It is abundant the same today, although now, clan usually buy photographs rather than paintings.

* Canaletto also painted another kind of view picture called a "capriccio." While a view painting exhibit tos an actual scene, a capriccio consists of well-known buildings and memorials in a city where the artist has arranged them to satisfy his imagination. In that way, he was able to include many more existences of special interest than could be seen in a single view.

* Overland travel in the 18th hundred was very slow and uncomfortable, in such a manner most people did not travel self-same much. It could also be quite dangerous from hold-up by dint of bandits. Each of Canaletto's three trips to England took about three weeks in each direction through the whole extent of bad roads. Even by sea, the journey took at least three weeks and then no other than if the wind blew.

In contrast, the bulk of mankind today can drive from Venice to London in about sum of two units days and fly in alone a few hours.

* Unlike principally cities in the world, Venice is true much the same as it was 300 years ago in Canaletto's time--including this view. In fact, the city has not changed often in over 500 years. about buildings have been destroyed to make way for places like railway stations and house of entertainments and some tall towers have collapsed. on the contrary the accuracy of Canaletto's paintings has been checked against present-day photographs.

* often of Canaletto's success came about between the walls of people who were art dealers and bought and sold artworks for anyone who was interested in them. He also worked with agents who worked for individual wealthy buyers

observers may find out about present-day art dealers on reading books about the work they do. Local art dealers may also be willing to visit a place of education to explain their job and point out examples of artworks they have for sale. It may steady be possible for students to visit a dealer's gallery. close examiners may also search the Internet for Web sites lay opened by galleries to help exchange their works.

* Canaletto always evolveed his paintings from sketches he made onward the spot. He understood perspective exceedingly well, although he often mixed views together to make pictures more interesting calm though the perspective was no longer accurate. He also painted displays he could not see by way of raising the eye level to the height of a ship's masthead to learn a more interesting view.

* Canaletto was to such a degree good at perspective drawing that more [i]or[/i] less people believed that he copied what he could papal court in an instrument called a "camera obscura." A camera obscura is like a simple camera with a mirror in it nevertheless no film (photographic film had not nevertheless been invented).

In fact, there is no evidence that he did use a camera obscura, thus all his scenes were hand drawn using his knowledge of perspective.

* Canaletto's pictures are greatly like stage sets with clan going about their daily business while encircleed by the beauties of Venice. The population are dressed in the fashion of the 18th hundred which may interest students looking at this painting. The carriage of the people may also give observers ideas about how to make their acknowledge pictures more complete with the addition of people

* The artist was not same interested in the water in the canals of Venice in the way that he usually showed it with evenly painted ripples forward an otherwise glassy surface. In fact, the water was frequently quite rough from the passage of boats and the force of the wind.

THINGS TO DO

* close examiners may go sketching and also take cameras--better if Polaroid" or digital. forward their return to the classroom they are to draw and paint large accurate pictures of an interesting display they saw based on the photograph and their avow sketches. Alternatively, they can skeleton or photograph several important goals in town and then make their admit capriccios.

* select part or all of an artwork and draw a pencil grid of squares onward top of it. Then draw a grid of larger squares forward a piece of blank paper. The nearest step is to draw in each blank square what can be seen in the squares drawn upon the reproduction. Add details upon the larger drawing to without fault [i]or[/i] blemish [i]or[/i] flaw it. This method of enlargement has been used for centurys of years when artists destitutioned to transfer sketch designs to large walls for painting murals.

* All landscapes have sight levels that show where the artist was standing of sitting when he painted the picture. Another way of naming the sight level is to call it the "horizon line."