St. Mark's Square towards Canaletto's Basilica

The painting Piazza San Marco verso la Basilica by Canaletto is an excellent example of Venetian vedutism, an artistic movement that, in the 18th century, favored the detailed and realistic representation of urban views and landscapes. The painting, datable to around 1723, shows us one of the most famous squares in the world, Piazza San Marco, with the majestic Basilica di San Marco in the background. Preserved in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, this painting is above all a representation of the society of the time.

Venetian view painting

Venetian vedutism is an artistic movement that emerged mainly in the 18th century, dedicated to the accurate and realistic representation of urban views, especially of the city of Venice. This art form is distinguished by the meticulous attention to detail and the faithful reproduction of the places depicted, with a strong interest in architecture, city landscapes and scenes of everyday life. The artists of vedutism were known for the use of linear perspective and the use of the camera obscura that allowed them to obtain a precise reproduction of urban spaces similar to a real photograph.

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The vedutistiche works were dominated by a formal clarity and a luminosity that gave realism and depth to the scenes depicted, making every detail of the Venetian architecture easily recognizable. The palaces, bridges, squares and canals of the city were immortalized with care and precision, often to satisfy the taste of travelers and collectors, especially English, who wanted to take home images of the splendid Venice.

However, vedutism was not limited to pure architectural description. Artists also knew how to capture the atmosphere of the city, representing the changes in light with mastery. The atmospheric conditions, such as the clear blue of a sunny day or the threat of an approaching storm, were transposed onto the canvases, helping to make the works vivid. Venice, with its unique beauty and its role as a commercial and cultural crossroads, thus became the privileged subject of this pictorial genre, also celebrated for its daily life and its social dynamics.

Canaletto focuses on the centrality of Piazza San Marco as the beating heart of Venice. The square is not only a space for social gatherings, but a symbol of power and authority, given the presence of the most representative buildings of the city: the Procuratie on the sides, the Doge's Palace and the Bell Tower of San Marco in the background. The arrangement of the buildings, rendered in a studied and precise perspective, gives the work a sense of monumentality and majesty. Particularly interesting is the contrast between the area illuminated by the sun and the shadowed wing of the square, which gives depth and dynamism to the scene.

What are the Procuratie?

The Procuratie are a series of three monumental buildings that surround St. Mark's Square in Venice and are an important testimony to the city's history and architecture. Originally intended to house the offices and residences of the Procurators of St. Mark, the second-highest officials of the Venetian Republic, these structures reflect the city's power and influence over the centuries.

• The Procuratie Vecchie (north side) were built in the 16th century to replace buildings damaged by fire. They were the first example of classical-style construction in Venice and housed apartments rented by procurators to generate income. The lower side of the porticoes was occupied by shops and workshops.
• The Procuratie Nuove (south side) were built between the end of the 16th and the 17th century as part of a vast urban renewal project. Intended as the official residences of the procurators, they represented the culmination of the architectural transformation process of Piazza San Marco, which made it similar to a large classical forum. Here too, the porticoes housed historic shops and cafés such as Caffè Florian.
• The Procuratie Nuovissime (or Napoleonic Wing), built during the French occupation in the 19th century, closes the square on the west side. This building was designed to be the residence of the viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy and today houses part of the Correr Museum.

One of the most important aspects of the work is its faithfulness to reality, which is fully in line with the tradition of vedutista. Canaletto does not limit himself to representing Venice as an ideal or picturesque setting, but offers a precise and timely description of the city. His attention to detail is evident in the representation of the buildings and their grandeur, but also in the scenes of daily life. In particular, the depiction of the merchants' stalls in the square, in contrast to the monumentality of the government buildings, highlights the contrast between the different social classes.

The atmospheric element is another fundamental aspect of the work. Canaletto manages to capture with great skill the imminent arrival of a storm, using color to convey the atmosphere of expectation and tension that pervades the scene. This ability to represent weather conditions is one of the artist's distinctive traits, which demonstrates an extraordinary mastery in rendering light, shadows and colors in a realistic way.

Another characteristic element of Canaletto's work is the treatment of human figures. Although the characters depicted in the square are small and apparently secondary to the landscape, the artist avoids banal stylization. The figures, known as "macchiette", are rendered in a synthetic but effective way, distancing themselves from the Flemish tradition that tended to reproduce every detail minutely. This approach allows Canaletto to maintain attention to the urban and architectural context, without losing the visual coherence of the work.

Canaletto during the 1700s

By the time he painted Piazza San Marco towards the Basilica (around 1723), Canaletto, whose real name was Giovanni Antonio Canal, was already established as one of the leading exponents of vedutism in Venice. In those years, the artist began to develop the style that would make him famous: a meticulous and detailed representation of urban views of the city, characterized by particular attention to light, atmosphere and architectural details. Influenced by the architecture and beauty of Venice, Canaletto painted everyday scenes animated by small characters and concentrated above all on the monumental views of the lagoon city. This period also marks the beginning of his popularity among foreign collectors, especially English ones, who appreciated his views as souvenirs of their visits to Venice.