Object Details
Artist
Antonio Canaletto
Date
ca. 1740–46
Medium
Etching on laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 11 7/8 x 17 1/8 inches (30.2 x 43.5 cm)
Sheet: 14 1/2 x 19 3/4 inches (36.8 x 50.2 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of William P. Chapman, Jr., Class of 1895
Object
Number
56.376
Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, was the son of a theatrical scene painter, Bernardo Canal, from w(…)
Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto, was the son of a theatrical scene painter, Bernardo Canal, from whom he learned his technique. A native of Venice, he branched out in his own career, and specialized in depicting his home city in charismatic views of the canals and bridges. Unlike his contemporaries, Canaletto preferred to focus on quotidian scenes rather than the well-known monuments. He began primarily with drawings and paintings, and turned to etching later in his career, as the technique became revitalized in the 1740s. “Ale Porte del Dolo” is one of his earliest views, where a shadowed pleasure boat proceeds toward sunlit buildings in the background, exemplifying his exceptional attention to lighting and depth.
