Canaletto. Octave Uzanne

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СКАЧАТЬ in spite of a remarkable kind of patronymic diversity, there was only one man: Giovanni Antonio Canal. From 1719 to about 1750, from the time of his first works until the time when his nephew and pupil Bernardo Bellotto chose to give himself his prestigious signature, he alone kept the name Canaletto. Today, however, one has to link both the master and his disciple to this surname. And it would be a good idea to connect, under the famous designation “Canaletto”, the two personalities, related by blood, because of their specialized genre and value as artists. As neither of the two dated their canvases, as they manifested nearly equal talent, as they show a regularity in their brush strokes, as they render impossible any means of discovering different styles relating to different periods in their lives, these two painters deny any real critical investigation into their separate artistic personalities.

      However, there would be no Canaletto without Giovanni Antonio Canal. Indeed, he was the undisputed creator of the carefully crafted painting of intense perspectives. Because of the discoveries that his studies brought to him, he was the first to demonstrate the practical and rational use of the optical chamber, of which he almost always took advantage. Therefore, he might, in some way, appear to be the forerunner of Nicéphore Niépce and Jacques Daguerre. But Canaletto was not looking to use chemical agents to reproduce the image projected by a camera obscura. He chose instead, through the use of all of his discerning powers, to evoke the images visible in a camera obscura with his brushes, which were obedient to his technique and talent. He thus endeavoured to express all the photogenic hues that he ingeniously knew how to capture. Many of his predecessors used this practice when painting architecture, but the technique had yet to be systematised during his era. Some had opened the way; for example, Tiepolo had ventured into this arena, but with impetuous and opulent fieriness that was far-removed from matching the precise and rigorous organization of Venetian architecture.

      Although the undeniable pictorial quality of Canaletto’s work is plain to see, and even more apparent with each glance, it is more difficult to shed light on his life. In effect, the lack of biographical documentation about him gives us only a partial curriculum vitae. Like the great majority of eighteenth century Venetian painters, he was as motivated to disseminate his works as he was to conceal his personality. He wanted to obscure the events that could have constituted a comprehensive biography. The artists during that period were hardly ever seen outside of their studios, except by chance. Nothing out there attracted them. Worries about their reputations resided, above all, in their persistent “studio work”. The idea of publicity, motivated by a desire to stir up an opinions about themselves in gazettes and social environments susceptible to influence, or a desire to put themselves on centre stage for the benefit of their self-esteem and their sales, did not germinate inside the solid minds of these “hard working producers of paintings”.

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      Примечания

      1

      Francisco Morosini, after experiencing the effects of Venice’s political jealousy, was appointed Generalissimo. In 1688, honour was bestowed upon his glorious name. He was then elected doge. The pope sent him a sword and helmet because of his role as Defender of the Faith.

      2

      See Guardi’s painting in the Louvre.

      3

      See Guardi’s painting in the Louvre that depicts the Corpus Christi procession at Saint Mark’s Square.

Примечания

1

Francisco Morosini, after experiencing the effects of Venice’s political jealousy, was appointed Generalissimo. In 1688, honour was bestowed upon his glorious name. He was then elected doge. The pope sent him a sword and helmet because of his role as Defender of the Faith.

2

See Guardi’s painting in the Louvre.

3

See Guardi’s painting in the Louvre that depicts the Corpus Christi procession at Saint Mark’s Square.

4

The libro d’oro was destroyed in 1797 during the wars of the Republic, but some copies still exist. Like Venice, several other Italian cities had nobility registries.

5

Apostolo Zeno, born in 1668, was not a noble, in the least, because his grandfather was not registered in the libro d’oro, even though he had illustrious roots. Unable to obtain a post at Saint Mark’s library, he accepted an offer from Emperor Charles VI, who granted him the position of court poet and historian. After twelve years in Vienna, esteemed for his character and talent, he transferred his position to Metastasio and returned to Venice in 1729. He lived there for two more years, among his friends, books and medals, laden with honours, and kept up active correspondence with foreign scholars. He composed sixty-three dramatic works in many different styles. Caldara set many of them to music. Among his operas, Gli Inganni Felice and Lucio Vero were particularly lauded.

6

Chiari, a comedic poet, originally from Brescia, settled in Venice and unsuccessfully tried his hand at novels and tragedies. Like Goldoni, for whom, at times, he was a lucky rival, he had adopted fourteen-syllable Martellian verse. The former inspired by the works of Terence, the latter endeavoured to stage the works of Plautus; both had their fanatic supporters. The sixty plays written by Chiari, in a style devoid of both conviction and elegance, at least did justice to the fecundity of his imagination.

7

Goldoni took on the position of Italian tutor once again, this time for Madame Clotilde, who was engaged to the Prince of Piedmont, and for Madame Elisabeth. He ended his career by writing three volumes of memoirs that were to serve as his life story and the history of his theatrical career. He died on January 8, 1793, saddened and impoverished by the Revolution.

8

Venice’s glass industry was very old. In 630, Saint Benedict called Venetian workers to England to decorate the windows of Yarmouth Monastery. Shops were set up on Murano Island and were closely monitored by the Council of Ten. During the eighteenth century, this art enjoyed new found prosperity, thanks to the patriotism of Briati, who had worked as a porter for three years in a Bohemian crystal shop so he could learn the secrets of fabrication. His perseverance was rewarded by success, as he obtained permission to rebuild his furnaces within the city limits of Venice. He died on January 17, 1772.

9

In his Memoirs, Part I, Chapter XII.