Piazza San Marco Looking South and West 1763

Canaletto made this painting of the Piazza San Marco in Venice, using oil on canvas, in the first half of the 18th century. Canaletto built his career on views of Venice, known as vedute, for wealthy tourists, mostly British, who visited the city as part of their Grand Tour, a rite of passage for young aristocrats. The painting shows Venice as a hive of activity. Yet, it presents a carefully constructed image of the city. The composition, with its grand architecture and bustling figures, is designed to appeal to the tastes of its buyers. The level of detail is incredible, but it's important to remember that Canaletto also used techniques like the camera obscura to create these views, adjusting reality to create the most pleasing image. Looking at paintings like this, alongside other sources, we can understand more about how Venice presented itself to the world and the role of art in shaping that image.