Canaletto /

Canaletto gave to the art market the working category of the transcendental city view. Merging his experience in the painting of stage scenery with the tradition of topographical studies developed in Holland and Rome, he made theater out of the urban fabric of Venice. In mid-life, he took his special vision to England and provided a similar service for the country estates of wealthy Englishmen. This impressive catalog gives full documentation of the most important exhibit of Canaletto yet mounted--and the first in the US. The quality of the individual pieces chosen is dazzling. The full range of the artist's career is covered, including the imaginary views (vedute di fantasia) that became the core of his activity during the last period of his life. The 85 paintings are supplemented by 45 drawings that shed important light on his working procedure. There are large color illustrations, including many details, of each item in the show, and five substantial essays by experts in the field. A major contribution to the growing body of literature on an artist whose evaluation by scholars is finally beginning to catch up with his durable and lustrous popular reputation. -D. Pincus, University of British Columbia

Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697-1768), the painter extraordinaire of Venice who was known as Canaletto, is the subject of this exhibition catalog from a recent show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It brings together a wealth of paintings and drawings avidly collected in his day by the English aristocracy and, especially with regard to those assembled from the Royal Collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, generally unseen before in this country. The five short essays by noted authorities succeed in capturing many of the essentials of the artist, which are easily digested by the nonspecialist. The extensive catalog following the essays contains splendid color reproductions with descriptive text on each work covered. While the book may not change significantly what is known of Canaletto, it is the record of an important American museum show and of paintings that ought to be savored by a wide audience. A welcome addition to most art book collections.-- Ellen Bates, New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.