The New International Encyclopædia/Canaletto

CANALETTO, kä′nȧ-lēt′tō̇. The name applied to two Venetian architectural painters.—Antonio Canaletto, properly da Canal or Canale (1697-1768) was born at Venice, and, after studying with his father Bernardo and with Carlevaris, acquired in Rome a high reputation as a painter of antique ruins. Returning to Venice, he devoted himself to the Venetian scenes for which he has become justly famous. Clear in color and correct in line, he is the most important painter of the old Venetian school except Tiepolo, who often painted the figures for his landscapes. His works are found in all the principal European collections.—His nephew and pupil, Bernardo Belotto (1720-80), called Canaletto, born in Venice, also perfected himself in Rome, after laboring for some time for the Elector Charles Albert at Munich, he removed to Dresden in 1747. In 1758 he went to Vienna, and about 1770, as painter to the King, to Warsaw, where he died. His paintings, mostly views in cities in which he lived, are very numerous, especially at Dresden and Vienna. While his art is similar, it is inferior, to Antonio's. Consult Meyer, Die beiden Canaletti (Dresden, 1878).