Canaletto, Celebrating Britain at the award winning Compton Verney Gallery in Warwickshire from March 14 to June 7 brings together for the first time works created by the Italian artist in Britain. During a nine year stay between 1746 and 1755 he documented traditional views and landmarks and his patrons latest achievements in architecture and engineering. It was an important time. By 1750 the first generation of Palladian architects and patrons (Burlington, Campbell and Kent) were dead, and the nation was ready for a more liberal attitude to architectural design. Britain itself was a more stable and confident place than it had been even thirty years before. The paintings and drawings depict works in Palladian, Baroque or Gothic styles and celebrate a new-found wealth and assurance. Here is a selection:
Canaletto, London The Thames from Somerset House Terrace towards Westminster copyright Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Canaletto, London: The Thames from Somerset House Terrace towards the City c.1750-51
Royal Collection Trust/ © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
Canaletto, A View of Walton Bridge Dulwich Picture Gallery
Canaletto, The Interior of the Rotunda, Ranelagh © Compton Verney
A View of Greenwich from the River. Lent from a private collection 1997
Canaletto (attrib.), A Self-Portrait with Saint Paul’s in the background, 1746 Anglesey Abbey
The Fairhaven Collection (The National Trust) © NTPL/Chris Titmus