Venice: Piazza San Marco

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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This small picture shows the great Piazza San Marco – the most famous square in Venice. We look through an archway, stood in the shadows just behind a group of figures; it is as if we are walking past them along the colonnade. A vendor surrounded by baskets shows his wares to two gentlemen. A man perched on a barrel turns his head towards us, while another peeps out from behind a pillar.

The archway focuses attention on the buildings beyond: the Basilica di San Marco, the city’s most sacred church, and to the right, its campanile (bell tower). The paving stones and buildings that line the square recede at a sharp angle, which Canaletto exaggerated, leading our eye deeper into the scene. Dots and swirls of paint pick out people in the distance, creating the impression that we are looking on from afar.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Venice: Piazza San Marco

Date

about 1758

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 46.4 x W 37.8 cm

Accession number

NG2515

Acquisition method

Salting Bequest, 1910

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

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