Rialto Bridge from the South 1737

Canaletto made this view of the Rialto Bridge from the South with oil on canvas. Look closely, and you'll see that he relied on the skilled application of paint, which was of course a costly material. The artist, whose real name was Giovanni Antonio Canal, had a workshop of assistants. They churned out views of Venice for wealthy tourists, who were keen to take home memories of their travels. Canaletto would have begun with a precise drawing, perhaps aided by a camera obscura, and then layered on paint with incredible precision. This wasn’t just documentation, though. The light, the mood, the story of Venice as a bustling port city – all that is conveyed through Canaletto’s attention to material and process. Consider the countless hours of labor involved in the creation of this painting. The mining of pigments, the weaving and preparation of canvas, the skilled brushwork, and the economic system that supported it all. These are all crucial elements in the making of this artwork. Recognizing the deep relationship between art, labor, and commerce allows for a more complete understanding of Canaletto's artistry.