Canaletto [Paperback]

J. G. Links (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 1999

Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768), known as Canaletto, is one of the most popular of all old master painters. His views of Venice and London are much celebrated and admired. First published in 1982, and revised in 1994, this book is here reissued in paperback, tracing Canaletto's career from his beginnings as a scene-painter with his father to the work of his later years. Canaletto was interested in depicting the world around him, but unlike most of his fellow artists, he was more than a mere recorder of the amazing scenery of Venice or of Georgian England. He had the power, in the words of one of his contemporaries, to paint so that "the eye is deceived and truly believes it is the real thing it sees", and his insight and technical skills were so dazzling that it was thought he must rely on some sort of optical apparatus. His first views of Venice were painted around 1725 for Stefano Conti of Lucca. Soon after he came into contact with Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice, who was to become his most important patron. Through Smith's influence, he came to England between about 1746 and 1756 during which time he painted many London scenes including views of Westminster Bridge, Whitehall, the Old Horse Guards, St James's Park and Somerset House as well as views of Warwick Castle and Eton College. These and many others of Canaletto's best paintings and watercolours are reproduced in the book's much expanded range of colour illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768), the painter extraordinaire of Venice who was known as Canaletto, is the subject of this exhibition catalog from a recent show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It brings together a wealth of paintings and drawings avidly collected in his day by the English aristocracy and, especially with regard to those assembled from the Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, generally unseen before in this country. The five short essays by noted authorities succeed in capturing many of the essentials of the artist, which are easily digested by the nonspecialist. The extensive catalog following the essays contains splendid color reproductions with descriptive text on each work covered. While the book may not change significantly what is known of Canaletto, it is the record of an important American museum show and of paintings that ought to be savored by a wide audience. A welcome addition to most art book collections.
- Ellen Bates, New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768), known as Canaletto, is one of the most popular of all old master painters. His views of Venice and London are much celebrated and admired. First published in 1982, and revised in 1994, this book is here reissued in paperback, tracing Canaletto's career from his beginnings as a scene-painter with his father to the work of his later years. Canaletto was interested in depicting the world around him, but unlike most of his fellow artists, he was more than a mere recorder of the amazing scenery of Venice or of Georgian England. He had the power, in the words of one of his contemporaries, to paint so that "the eye is deceived and truly believes it is the real thing it sees", and his insight and technical skills were so dazzling that it was thought he must rely on some sort of optical apparatus. His first views of Venice were painted around 1725 for Stefano Conti of Lucca. Soon after he came into contact with Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice, who was to become his most important patron. Through Smith's influence, he came to England between about 1746 and 1756 during which time he painted many London scenes including views of Westminster Bridge, Whitehall, the Old Horse Guards, St James's Park and Somerset House as well as views of Warwick Castle and Eton College. These and many others of Canaletto's best paintings and watercolours are reproduced in the book's much expanded range of colour illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Phaidon Press (March 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714838438
• ISBN-13: 978-0714838434
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #905,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars View Painter Extraordinaire, March 11, 2000

By 

Tarpley Jones (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canaletto (Paperback)

J. G. Links is widely recognized as the reigning authority on the Venetian painter Canaletto. This masterful book is probably the most extensive study on the painter available in the English language. In addition to Links' very entertaining prose his book is filled with color plates of over 200 of Canaletto's paintings and sketches.

Little is known about Canaletto's life and Links does not try to read more into the few facts that do exist. He does try to piece together Canaletto's life by dating his many paintings. If you are a Canaletto enthusiast and want to know more about what inspired him and how he lived you will be disappointed. No one knows how or why this man became the greatest painter of "view paintings" of all time except that his father was a painter of theatre scenes and undoubtedly exposed the young Canaletto to his trade at an early age. Canaletto's nephew was Bernardo Bellotto, a man who at his very best could claim to be as good as his uncle. Whereas Bellotto painted mostly in Germany, Canaletto is most famous for his views of Venice. The shimmering reflections of the Grand Canal, the faded and peeling stucco sides of the palaces, the many boat plying the waterways, and finally the people of Venice are captured in the all- seeing eye of the "camera man" of the 18th century.

Canaletto's best patrons were the English who were overcome by Venice's beauty and Canaletto's ability to capture it on canvas. He made two trips to London and his works there of the newly built Westminister Bridge, the Thames, and the castles of the rich rival his works of his native city. Most of Canaletto'w works are on display in English museums or in private collections in that country.

Links is not an interpreter of art and does not attempt to explain in detail the many plates in his book from an artistic perspective. He does explain in great detail the relationship of Canaletto to several Englishmen in Venice who acted as brokers for his many works. Were it not for these men Canaletto's fame would probably have gone less noticed and certainly they are responsible for the many works that still survive, thought sadly many have vanished forever.

While this is a picture book it is not necessarily a "coffee table" one. Canaletto painted scenes immense in size and detail and most do not reproduce that well on a single or even double page of this large book. Still, for a first rate account of Canaletto (slim as the facts may be), the business of art in the 1700's, and over 200 fabulous paintings (dare I say photographs?) and sketches, this is as good as it gets.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Paintings - Dry Prose, July 13, 2006

By 

Neutiquam Erro (Isles of Llyonnesse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canaletto (Paperback)

Canaletto, by J.G. Links follows the Phaidon tradition of delivering a beautiful book, full of detailed colour plates, for a fairly modest price. The pictures alone make the book worth purchasing.

Canaletto, a Venetian painter of the early 18th Century, moved from painting stage backdrops to gorgeous perspective views of his native town. If you have ever been to Venice you know that it has an achingly beautiful prospect around every corner. Canaletto reproduced these views artistically, with a keen eye for perspective, architectural detail and atmosphere. His paintings will leave you wanting to book the next flight to Italy. Phaidon does a wonderful job of reproducing his images, in full colour with plenty of detail plates. Canaletto's later work in London and his capriccios and ink drawings are also included. From a visual perspective this book is stunning.

It is, however, a little lacking when it comes to the text. It would seem that we only really know anything about Canaletto through his contacts with a couple of British middlemen , McSwiney and Smith, who engaged him to paint views of Venice for rich Englishman who had toured Venice. We are treated to numerous details about provenances and the lives of the British agents but precious little about Canaletto himself. His style is discussed largely in terms of technique - his use of perspective and the slight deviations he made from the real scenes. But a more in depth analysis of motivation and aesthetics never materializes. A final quibble would be the lack of a good map of Venice. A plan of Venice from 1729 is included, with labels in Italian but is mostly inadequate. The author assumes the reader is familiar with Venetian topology and rarely clarifies details of place.

The book is richly deserving of five stars for its images alone. The text is adequate but not particularily inspired. A brief chronology, list of sources and list of plates, together with a short index make up the somewhat abbreviated scholarly apparatus. If you are looking for a detailed life of Canaletto and a deep analysis of his paintings this book is probably not for you but if you want to simply wallow in the sheer beauty of Venice, it is a definite must.