1740
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Views: The Canal Lock at Dolo is a 1740 by Canaletto, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a quiet canal in the village of Dolo, near Venice—boats, a stone lock, and people going about their day under a soft sky. Canaletto usually painted Venice itself, but here he stepped outside the city. The print is part of a series he made of rural scenes. Etching let him play with light and shadow in a different way than his paintings. If you like this, look up more works in the subject *italy, venice*.
Antonio Canaletto took up etching as an extension of his painting practice, which consisted of representing topographical views of Venice for wealthy patrons. This print belongs to a series he made of rural scenery outside the city—here, the village of Dolo and its canal. Etching provided the artist with a means of formal experimentation, and he became a master of describing Venice’s distinctive buildings and the reflections and shadows from its many canals. Prints also provided the artist with a steady income; this series was likely marketed to affluent British tourists as a souvenir.
Dolo, the town depicted here, was a popular site of country homes for wealthy inhabitants of Venice nearby.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (Italian: ), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school.
See the richer artist page
