Last Chance to See...
Last week I took a trip to the National Gallery to see its exhibition Venice: Canaletto and His Rivals. If you want to do the same, be quick! It closes on 16 January. It's well worth a visit. Art exhibitions are not always exciting, but this one is a must-see.
Venice has always held a fascination for me, despite (perhaps because) never having been there. It's no secret that Mettingloom in The Dog of the North was conceived as a frozen Venice, with its mesh of canals and polished intrigues. Canaletto's paintings were a major inspiration, even though they date from a period some 200 years later than the 'high Venetian' period which so delighted me.
From that perspective alone, a Canaletto exhibition would have been worth a couple of hours of my time, but the National Gallery show offered a great deal more. His paintings were juxtaposed with those of his contemporaries to demonstrate how different artists had dealt with the same landscapes. 18th century Venice was popular as a 'Grand Tour' destination, and in an age before cameras, paintings of the city were much in demand as souvenirs.
At the start of his career, Canaletto's work is contrasted with that of Luca Carlevarijs. Canaletto's pictures are clearly more precise and vibrant. Later on we see contrasts with other artists working out of his own studio (and issuing canvasses in Canaletto's name). The most prominent of these was Canaletto's nephew, Bernardo Bellotto. Many of Bellotto's works are all but indistinguishable from his uncle's until they are displayed side-by-side, where Bellotto's more saturated colours and emphasised buildings become apparent. I found myself preferring the pupil's work to the master's.
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| Bellotto, The Piazetta, c.1743 |
Later in his career, Canaletto's work is set alongside Francesco Guardi's. Guardi is deliberately less precise than Canaletto, looking ahead towards the 19th century rather than working in the Canaletto tradition.
I can't recommend the exhibition too highly: a cluster of beautiful paintings, liberal historical context and a real sense of 18th century Venice.
7 comments:
Tim - I would love to see this exhibition, but don't think I'll be able to make it. This is one of the times when I wish we lived nearer London (to be near a station would be a start!).
A shame to miss it, Frances. I enjoyed the relatively small scale (I dislike being overwhelmed by 500 paintings) and story linking it all together.
On balance, though, I think not living near London has to be a good thing...
I totally agree about the 500 paintings. A good picture deserves space, and time for people to look at it properly. I find the National Gallery can be overwhelming unless (as we did last time) you go in to see just one or two particular pictures. The Louvre is worse, in a way, because you can't so easily go back again for another visit. You have to see as much as you can in a day, and that, for me, leads to overload (not to mention sore feet!).
I'll have to hop over and see it... *sigh*
Bummer, because it sounds great. I'm fascinated with waterways and the idea of their use being part of everyday life so Venice has always captivated me.
Frances, I've always been too daunted by the Louvre even to go! I remember grinding myself into oblivion at the Musee d'Orsay - although that was such a fantastic gallery it was worth it.
Nevets, the waterways always fascinated me too (even if I froze them in The Dog), and part of the reason I've never been is that I wonder if the reality of a possibly tawdry tourist hole can match my imaginings...
I love Bellotto's sky. I always admire painters who can do convincing sky.
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