Canaletto Prints

Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697-1768) was born in Venice, and had his first lessons from his father, who was a painter of theatrical scenery. He studied in Rome, returning to Venice in 1720, where he immediately became known for his paintings and engravings of city scenes. During 1740-41 he revisited Rome, and from 1745 to 1755 worked mainly in England, where he not only painted but also decorated many of the important homes and buildings of the period. Back in Venice, he was elected to the Venetian Academy in 1763. His paintings, engravings, and etchings are valuable historical documents in addition to being wonderfully evocative visions of his beloved city/