GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Canaletto was renowned in his lifetime for his city views, a subject he embraced early in his career. San Cristoforo, San Michele, and Murano from the Fondamenta Nuove, Venice is an early landscape representing the first phase of the artist's mature work. He had yet to develop the distinguishing features of his distinctive views: a crisp delineation of details, a fascination with light and reflection, and a composition organized with geometrical clarity. In this painting the approach is looser, with less emphasis on the precise rendering of monuments and the details of costumes and pageants. Only a few figures gather on the embankment on the northern shore of Venice, obscured by shadows at the left, bathed in brilliant light on the right. Like the arms of a broad V, the expansive composition opens up from the embankment to the horizon. The overall mood is somber, even brooding, with a gray-white light darting from behind passing clouds and illuminating the facades on the islands of St. Cristoforo and St. Michele. In the far distance is the island of Murano. This early and therefore somewhat atypical work of the great master of the 18th-century city views invites comparison with the landscapes of 19th-century romanticism.
Adapted from
Dorothy Kosinski, "San Cristoforo, San Michele, and Murano from the Fondamenta Nuove, Venice", in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 86.
NOTES
Created 1722-1723
Checked Piction
Unknown author: Canaletto painted this scene in the first phase of his mature work, but before he developed the crisply rendered, light-filled vendute, or city views, that spread his fame throughout Europe. In its dusky, dramatic lighting and mood, the painting looks ahead to 19th-century romantic painting. The view is from the embankment on the northern shore of Venice toward the islands of St. Cristoforo and St. Michele, with their prominent churches in the middleground; in the far distance, we see the island of Murano. (DMA label copy)
From Dropbox Europe (Bembo) labels--TAZ:
Born in Venice, Giovanni Antonio Canal (“Canaletto”) was renowned in his lifetime for his city views. This early landscape captures the atmosphere of Venice, its unique light illuminating the facades on the islands of St. Cristoforo and St. Michele with the island of Murano in the far distance. Venice was a prime destination for the Grand Tour voyage, popular during the 16th through 19th centuries. We can understand the Grand Tour as the original “liberal arts” education, whereby the voyagers would journey through Europe, south to Paris and especially to the Italian cities of Venice, Florence, and Rome, to immerse themselves in cultural artifacts of antiquity and the Renaissance. Canaletto’s painting from the early 18th century resonates with later works hanging nearby. Joseph Mallord William Turner’s Bonneville, Savoy, with Mont Blanc alludes to the voyage through the Alps to Italy. Italian painter Pompeo Girolamo Batoni’s rendering of a gentleman is a perfect example of his celebrated portraits. The most accomplished sculptor of the neoclassical era, Antonio Canova drew inspiration for his works from surviving sculptures of classical antiquity, particularly from the Roman Empire. In Canova’s monumental marble statue of Napoleon at Apsley House (Wellington Museum, London), the emperor holds an orb surmounted by the gilt-bronze figure of winged Victory. Our statue by Canova (to your right) was cast independently from the same mold as that one. Dorothy Kosinski, DMA label copy, 1997
One of the most famous urban landscape artists of the eighteenth century, Canaletto made numerous detailed views of Venice. His mature renderings of palaces and crowds display a geometrical organization and a fascination with detail. This painting, from earlier in his career, offers a very different atmosphere. The largely empty composition looks over the Venetian lagoon, somber under a cloudy sky. Sihouetted figures in the foreground give a poetic mood to the painting. The warm yellow light raking the facades of the buildings and church on the islands of San Cristoforo and San Michele is beautifully inventive. The people on the embankment and staircase are like spectators, looking to a receding stage that extends to the island of Murano. A thin line of wood floating on the water and a few boats punctuate the composition and direct the viewer's gaze.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "San Cristoforo, San Michele, and Murano from the Fondamenta Nuove, Venice," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 166.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Antonio Canal, Called Canaletto (Italian, 1697-1768)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin and depicted location: Venice (Italy): TGN: 7018159
Depicted location: San Cristoforo (inhabited place): TGN: 7041885
Depicted location: San Michele (inhabited place): TGN: 7041313
Depicted location: Isola di Murano (island): TGN: 7051607
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
13317573: UMO Gallery Talk The Grand Tour: From Canaletto to Turner
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- YouTube~Watch this video about Canaletto from the National Gallery, London.
- Art Institute of Chicago~View some of Canaletto's prints and drawings at the AIC.
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC~Read a biography of Canaletto.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- Born the son of a painter, Canaletto's real name was Giovanni Antonio Canal. His nickname was most likely given to him to differentiate him from his father when they worked together as theatrical set painters.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
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General Description
Canaletto was renowned in his lifetime for his city views, a subject he embraced early in his career. San Cristoforo, San Michele, and Murano from the Fondamenta Nuove, Venice is an early landscape representing the first phase of the artist's mature work. He had yet to develop the distinguishing features of his distinctive views: a crisp delineation of details, a fascination with light and reflection, and a composition organized with geometrical clarity. In this painting the approach is looser, with less emphasis on the precise rendering of monuments and the details of costumes and pageants. Only a few figures gather on the embankment on the northern shore of Venice, obscured by shadows at the left, bathed in brilliant light on the right. Like the arms of a broad V, the expansive composition opens up from the embankment to the horizon. The overall mood is somber, even brooding, with a gray-white light darting from behind passing clouds and illuminating the facades on the islands of St. Cristoforo and St. Michele. In the far distance is the island of Murano. This early and therefore somewhat atypical work of the great master of the 18th-century city views invites comparison with the landscapes of 19th-century romanticism.
Adapted from
Dorothy Kosinski, "San Cristoforo, San Michele, and Murano from the Fondamenta Nuove, Venice", in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Suzanne Kotz (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1997), 86.
Fun Facts
- Born the son of a painter, Canaletto's real name was Giovanni Antonio Canal. His nickname was most likely given to him to differentiate him from his father when they worked together as theatrical set painters.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- YouTube~Watch this video about Canaletto from the National Gallery, London.
- Art Institute of Chicago~View some of Canaletto's prints and drawings at the AIC.
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC~Read a biography of Canaletto.
Notes
Created 1722-1723
Checked Piction
Unknown author: Canaletto painted this scene in the first phase of his mature work, but before he developed the crisply rendered, light-filled vendute, or city views, that spread his fame throughout Europe. In its dusky, dramatic lighting and mood, the painting looks ahead to 19th-century romantic painting. The view is from the embankment on the northern shore of Venice toward the islands of St. Cristoforo and St. Michele, with their prominent churches in the middleground; in the far distance, we see the island of Murano. (DMA label copy)
From Dropbox Europe (Bembo) labels--TAZ:
Born in Venice, Giovanni Antonio Canal (“Canaletto”) was renowned in his lifetime for his city views. This early landscape captures the atmosphere of Venice, its unique light illuminating the facades on the islands of St. Cristoforo and St. Michele with the island of Murano in the far distance. Venice was a prime destination for the Grand Tour voyage, popular during the 16th through 19th centuries. We can understand the Grand Tour as the original “liberal arts” education, whereby the voyagers would journey through Europe, south to Paris and especially to the Italian cities of Venice, Florence, and Rome, to immerse themselves in cultural artifacts of antiquity and the Renaissance. Canaletto’s painting from the early 18th century resonates with later works hanging nearby. Joseph Mallord William Turner’s Bonneville, Savoy, with Mont Blanc alludes to the voyage through the Alps to Italy. Italian painter Pompeo Girolamo Batoni’s rendering of a gentleman is a perfect example of his celebrated portraits. The most accomplished sculptor of the neoclassical era, Antonio Canova drew inspiration for his works from surviving sculptures of classical antiquity, particularly from the Roman Empire. In Canova’s monumental marble statue of Napoleon at Apsley House (Wellington Museum, London), the emperor holds an orb surmounted by the gilt-bronze figure of winged Victory. Our statue by Canova (to your right) was cast independently from the same mold as that one. Dorothy Kosinski, DMA label copy, 1997
One of the most famous urban landscape artists of the eighteenth century, Canaletto made numerous detailed views of Venice. His mature renderings of palaces and crowds display a geometrical organization and a fascination with detail. This painting, from earlier in his career, offers a very different atmosphere. The largely empty composition looks over the Venetian lagoon, somber under a cloudy sky. Sihouetted figures in the foreground give a poetic mood to the painting. The warm yellow light raking the facades of the buildings and church on the islands of San Cristoforo and San Michele is beautifully inventive. The people on the embankment and staircase are like spectators, looking to a receding stage that extends to the island of Murano. A thin line of wood floating on the water and a few boats punctuate the composition and direct the viewer's gaze.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "San Cristoforo, San Michele, and Murano from the Fondamenta Nuove, Venice," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 166.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Antonio Canal, Called Canaletto (Italian, 1697-1768)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin and depicted location: Venice (Italy): TGN: 7018159
Depicted location: San Cristoforo (inhabited place): TGN: 7041885
Depicted location: San Michele (inhabited place): TGN: 7041313
Depicted location: Isola di Murano (island): TGN: 7051607
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
13317573: UMO Gallery Talk The Grand Tour: From Canaletto to Turner
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1984.51.FA
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