Canaletto (Bernardo Bellotto)

Canaletto - world-famous cityscapes by a great artist

Bernardo Bellotto, also known as Canaletto, was a Venetian rococo painter. He is regarded as one of the most talented depictors of realistic cityscapes. His atmospheric paintings immerse the viewer in the world of the 18th century and provide interesting insights into life in earlier times. Important cities of this era such as Dresden, Vienna, Venice, Rome and Warsaw are brought to life for today's audience through his paintings. With his subtle technique, he painted carefully composed scenes. The image we still have of these cities today was strongly influenced by his art. Here we offer you a fine selection of his aesthetic city panoramas that are guaranteed to brighten up any room.

Canaletto - from Venice to Warsaw through Europe

Bellotto was born in Venice on 20 May 1722 (some sources also state 30 January 1721). Due to his talent, he began training as a painter at the age of 14 with his uncle Antonio Canal, a famous painter of cityscapes, so-called vedute. At the age of 20, he married Maria Elisabetta Pizzorno in Venice and started his own family. Soon afterwards, he began to travel extensively through central Italy, specialising, like his uncle, in the realistic depiction of European cities. These art trips enabled him to emancipate himself from his uncle and mentor and develop his own style of painting. During this time, he created famous vedute of Rome, Verona, Turin and Venice. At the age of 25, he decided to leave Venice after three of his four children died shortly after birth. Bellotto then settled in Dresden, whose regent Elector Frederick Augustus II was a great lover and patron of the arts. It was here in Dresden that he perfected his style and produced numerous commissioned works for the Saxon court. Due to the difficult political situation, however, the painter had to leave Dresden in 1758. He travelled to Vienna and Munich and also created several famous city panoramas of these two cities. His return to Dresden, now devastated by the war, did not bring him any luck professionally. The political situation had changed and his position as court painter had become insecure. So he accepted an offer of employment at the Warsaw court. There, together with other Italian painters of his time, he took part in the modernisation of the palace and contributed to the embellishment of the magnificent halls with a number of paintings. Bellotto died unexpectedly of a stroke in Warsaw on 17 October 1780 at the age of 58.

Canaletto - special features of his art

Canaletto's paintings still exert a great fascination today. His paintings are expressive, almost photographic scenes that depict both the architecture of cities and people in their everyday situations. The Enlightenment that spread across Europe made it desirable to depict ordinary people in paintings. Innovative works of art suddenly made it possible to recognise walkers, traders, maids, messengers or gondoliers. This gave the paintings a great naturalness that distinguished them from the cityscapes painted by his uncle Antonio Canal. The pictures are full of details that you can immerse yourself in for a long time. He used the technique of contrasting light and shadow to give his pictures a mysterious dramatic quality. This technique had already been perfected in the previous century by such important painters as Rembrandt. Canaletto adopted it and incorporated it into his vedute in a very intelligent way. His pictorial compositions are characterised by very precise geometry. Using a so-called camera obscura, he was able to calculate the perspective very precisely. The extremely wide horizon, which can be seen in most of the depictions, allows the viewer to wander into the distance.

Canaletto - beautiful classics for your home

With Bernardo Bellotto's beautiful classics, you can create a sophisticated and stimulating atmosphere in any room. We offer his artwork in several different designs, all of which will inspire you. Our canvas prints are printed on high-quality canvas cotton and are supplied on a wooden frame. They are available in seven sizes, from 30 x 20 cm to 150 x 100 cm. His world-famous painting ‘Dresden from the right bank of the Elbe’ can make a big impression as a canvas picture in your living room. It shows the banks of the Elbe in the foreground with walkers and traders, while ships and ferrymen can be seen on the peacefully flowing Elbe. The water radiates a meditative tranquillity that is transferred to the entire picture. The Frauenkirche and other magnificent buildings and palaces can be seen across the Augustus Bridge. The subtle colours of this work of art adapt to any surroundings. We also offer the picture as an acrylic glass picture, glass picture or poster.

All the depictions left behind by the painter of Venice are extremely well-known and popular. You can use them to embellish literally any room. The vibrant colours and aesthetic motifs are unique. Our hard foam pictures are a particular highlight. They are made of 5 mm thick solidified foam, which is stable and particularly light, even in large sizes. Self-adhesive spacers ensure a free-floating look on the wall. The colours come into their own particularly well thanks to the surface. The hard foam wall murals are available in several sizes. Take a look at the painting ‘The Entrance to the Grand Canal’. The people dressed in colourful robes, the bright blue sky and the turquoise waters of the Grand Canal give the artwork an intense vibrancy. As a poster or glass picture, it brings the atmosphere of Venice into your home. Our glass pictures have rounded corners, are scratch-resistant and sealed on the reverse with protective varnish.

The picture ‘Piazza San Marco’ is another masterpiece by the Venetian master. The sophisticated colours and the beauty of the square and its buildings make the art prints real eye-catchers. There are two sizes of glass picture to choose from. We also offer so-called wall prints in many sizes. Our wall prints are self-adhesive vinyl films with an elegant, silk-matt surface. They are suitable for many clean and silicone-free backgrounds, including woodchip or tiles. They can be removed and reused. Because they are easy to apply, they are also very popular as a real alternative to posters.

Choose a suitable version of our high-quality art prints for your premises. If you have any questions, we will of course be happy to help and advise you. You are also welcome to use our configurator. It will help you to create your very own personalised mural with just a few clicks.