The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice

Canaletto 1697 - 1768

Summary

This view of Venice, from the Riva degli Schiavoni at the Piazza San Marco across the Grand Canal to the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, was painted around 1740 by the great Venetian view painter, Giovanni Antonio Canal, called Canaletto. The church, which sits on the island of the same name in the Bacino di San Marco, was designed by Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) and decorated by Jacopo Tintoretto, Jacopo Bassano and Vittore Carpaccio. The red brick building next door to the church, with an arch for boats to pass through, is the Benedictine Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore. Venice was one of the pre-eminent Grand Tour destinations, along with Rome, Florence and Naples, and many foreign tourists purchased Canaletto's vedute (views) as souvenirs. The artist forged a particularly profitable relationship with Joseph Smith, the British Consul in Venice, who secured him commissions and print sales. His great popularity with the British encouraged him to spend the years 1746-1756 in London.

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Grand Tour and Grand Style The Influence of Travel Improvements in European travel during the 1700s had a wide-ranging impact on British culture. A particularly significant influence was the Grand Tour, which became almost obligatory for young gentlemen. Grand Tourists were led across Europe by tutors to study art, history and politics for two or three years. The Grand Tour focused on Italy, particularly Rome, and often incorporated new archaeological sites such as those at Herculaneum and Pompei, near Naples. Ancient antiquities were heavily trafficked across Europe and continental works of art flooded into Britain. A period of especially active collecting took place between the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 and the rise of Napoleon in the 1790s. As more artists and designers also visited the continent their work became increasingly informed by travel. The serious themes of classical antiquity and European art led to a new departure in painting called the Grand Style. This championed classical, historical or literary subjects, and inspired radical changes in portraiture and landscape. Widespread interest in Greek and Roman remains also fostered fresh interpretations of ancient designs by pioneers of decorative art such as Josiah Wedgwood.