La Piazza San Marco e la Piazzetta (c.1731)

Canaletto (1697-1768)

La Piazza San Marco e la Piazzetta (The Square of Saint Mark’s and the Piazzetta, Venice)
c.1731
Oil on canvas, 66 x 102.9 cm
Wadsworth AtheneumHartford

Canaletto‘s chief subject was the city of Venice, which he often painted for wealthy travelers as mementos of their visits to Italy. In this work, he focused on the most popular tourist site of Venice, the piazze near Doge’s Palace and the Palace church dedicated to the city’s patron, Saint Mark. The painting is composed of two different views and may have been created with the aid of a special lens. The view is toward the southwest, with the façade of the Basilica of Saint Mark on the left and the Ducal Palace and the Piazzetta beyond. The giant campanile (bell tower) dominates the center of the scene. At the far end of the square is the Church of San Geminiano, which was torn down in 1807. The square is populated by a multitude of tiny figures drawn from all strata of Venetian society. (WA)

See also:

• Piazza San Marco (Venezia)