The Piazzetta: Looking North, the Campanile under Repair 1745

This pen and ink drawing of the Piazzetta in Venice, with its campanile under repair, was made by Canaletto in the 18th century. Canaletto has chosen the most immediate and accessible of materials – pen, ink, and paper. Yet there is nothing humble about the drawing, which is full of information, energy, and observation. Note how the artist applied simple hatching to achieve a tonal range from light to dark. The labor and craftsmanship of the builders working to repair the campanile is contrasted with the public square, where people from all classes gather to socialize. Canaletto, a master of the *vedute*, was keenly aware of the economic drivers that were transforming Venice into a tourist destination. In many ways, he contributed to this development himself, through the sale of prints and drawings like this one to wealthy visitors. Consider the context in which this drawing was made: it challenges traditional distinctions between the fine arts and the crafts, and shows how interconnected the development of aesthetic practices is with larger forces of labor, politics, and commerce.