[PDF] A History of Detroit's Palmer Park (Landmarks) by Gregory C. Piazza in Arts-Photography

Description

Giovanni Antonio Canal; better known as Canaletto; was an Italian painter of landscapes of Venice. He was also an important printmaker in etching. Much of Canalettos early artwork was painted "from nature"; differing from the then customary practice of completing paintings in the studio. Some of his later works do revert to this custom; as suggested by the tendency for distant figures to be painted as blobs of color ndash; an effect produced by using a camera obscura; which blurs farther-away objects. His early works remain his most coveted and; according to many authorities; his best. One of his early pieces is The Stonemasons Yard (1729) which depicts a humble working area of the city. Later Canaletto painted grand scenes of the canals of Venice and the Doges Palace. His large-scale landscapes portrayed the citys pageantry and waning traditions; making innovative use of atmospheric effects and strong local colors. For these qualities; his works may be said to have anticipated Impressionism.