CANAL, Bernardo

(b. 1664 Venezia, d. 1744 Venezia)

Italian painter, the father of Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal). He was a celebrated painter of theatrical scenery and opera sets, working with his brother, Cristoforo. However, he painted a few ‘ vedute’, too, all dated from the 1730s. Canaletto’s early work develops from that of his father, and eclipses it very rapidly in the early 1720s.

Bernardo and his son Giovanni Antonio are documented in Rome as the stage scenery painters for Alessandro Scarlatti’s operas held at the Teatro Capranica during Carnival in 1720. Canaletto’s Roman sojourn marked the advent of his ‘vedutismo.’

The father had access to the son’s establishment and served as Prior of the Collegio dei Pittori in 1739.

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina in Rome

The attribution of this large canvas, a veduta of the Roman Forum framed as a capriccio by the outside wall of the Colosseum was the subject of a heated debate. It was attributed to the young Canaletto until 2001, when the name of Bernardo Canal was proposed. This attribution is now accepted.

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The Grand Canal with the Church of La Carità

Bernardo Canal was the father of Antonio, known as Canaletto. He achieved his successes in the field of theatrical scene painting, in which he was assisted by his sons. However, he painted a few ‘vedute’, too, all dated from the 1730s. Their models are the views by Carlevaris.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy: Songs without Words op. 30 No. 5 (Venetian gondola song)

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The Grand Canal with the Fabbriche Nuove at Rialto

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View of Rome

This painting shows a view of the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli and the Campidoglio. The composition derives from Canaletto’s drawing from ¹⁷¹⁹⁄₂₀ which he took back to Venice after his Roman sojourn.

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