Canaletto

Italian draftsman, printmaker, and painter best known for his views of Venice and London. Trained as a painter of theatrical scenery, Canaletto made his reputation through his sparkling images of his native Venice. Rendered with a calligraphic brushstroke and often depicting the festive side of Venetian life, these Italian views (or vedute) became hugely popular among British aristocrats, many of whom were introduced to his work while on the Grand Tour. Prompted by his success with the Grand Tourists, Canaletto came to England in May 1746 and quickly found patronage among the most prominent members of London society. Although he has often been criticized-most famously by John Constable-for making his English vedute shimmer in the light of an Italian sun, his visions of England and its topography capture the atmosphere of optimism and prosperity of mid eighteenth-century Britain. He returned to Italy in 1755.