View of the Bacino di San Marco from the Punta della Dogana

This view by Canaletto shows the Bacino di San Marco from the Punta della Dogana, the tip of the island that divides the Grand Canal from the lagoon. It is considered a work of his maturity, painted around 1740-1745, shortly before he moved to London. It forms a pair with another canvas by the same painter that looks towards the Punta della Dogana from Campo Sant'Ivo, and both share a setting and a purpose. Compared with his earlier work, the light is clearer: the scene is bathed in midday sun, the brushwork is crisper and the colours are cleaner, so that the water and the buildings receive an even illumination. There are more figures than in his early paintings, which adds life to the scene without disturbing its balance. It is a fine example of Venetian vedutismo, where topographic precision goes hand in hand with close attention to atmosphere and to the everyday life of the port.

Painter

Giovanni Antonio Canal

Date

1743

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

54 × 71 cm

Museum

Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan

Genre

Veduta

Depicts

Piazza San Marco, San Marco basin, Venice

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