Bernardo Bellotto, an Italian painter born in the year 1720 in Venice, is famous for his landscape paintings that changed the whole view towards Northern European cities. He travelled extensively around Italian cities like Florence, Rome, Verona, and Turin and later embodied their spirits on his canvas. One of his distinctive styles is the presence of the impasto technique, which is the application of a thick layer of colour to create a 3D effect. He is widely known for his paintings of Venice, which were created under the patronage of royal kings. Some of his famous works include Venice: The Grand Canal facing Santa Croce, A Caprice landscape with Ruins, Zwinger in Dresden, and many more.
Early Life
Bellotto was the nephew of painter Giovanni Antonio Canal, also known as Canaletto; hence, Bernardo himself started signing his works as Bernardo Canaletto after being influenced by his uncle’s landscape and architectural artworks. After receiving attention for his paintings, he was called to Dresden in 1747 at the invitation of King Augustus III of Poland. It is during this time that he painted landscape paintings of Dresden and other cities. After Dresden, Bernardo also worked in Vienna, Bavaria, and Warsaw under the sponsorship of kings, emperors, and notable members of royal families.
Artistic Journey
The European cities painted by Bellotto are considered his best works mainly because of the utilization of a cooler colour scheme, like muted grey, earthy green, and warm blue, subtly illuminating the sky, giving a very lively aspect to the paintings. His intricate detailing in ‘The Fortress of Königstein from the North’ highlights the lush green and the architectural monument. He frequently expanded the size and composition of the structures he painted.
Impact
Bellotto’s attention to detail proved very helpful as a historical blueprint for Warsaw to reconstruct the places after World War II. In 1945, after the devastations and coming under Soviet influence, the new Polish government realised the pressing matter of national honour and began the reconstruction of the towns on how they looked during the so-called ‘golden age’ in the 1760s and 70s. The 20 panoramic paintings created by Bernardo Bellotto came as a solution to the crisis, as they provided a vivid view of some of the most famous architectural structures. His paintings were therefore used by the Warsaw Preservation Department (WPD) in the reconstruction of the old city. It is often stated that landscape paintings capture not only the beauty of a particular place but rather stop time in that moment and create a still art that forever holds the significance of the place and its people. Bellotto’s paintings and precision exactly did that. The Polish government was able to restore its grandeur and identity only because of Bernardo’s efforts to capture the city in his canvases.
Signature Works
Below is the link for access to the paintings that will be discussed here.
https://www.khm.at/en/digital/artists/bernardo-bellotto
Upon visiting Venice for the position of the royal court painter, Bernardo Bellotto created some of the renowned Viennese paintings that encapsulate the culture, lifestyle, and the spirit of Vienna in the 17th- 18th centuries. He captured not only beautiful landscapes but nobles, chimney sweeps, monks, maids, servants, children, and overall the daily lives of the population. The stalls where market traders often sold their wares. Chairmen of Vienna in their red uniforms carrying around passengers in chair-bearers, similar to taxis have also been precisely captured by Bernardo’s painting.
Conclusion
In the year 1780, Bernardo Bellotto’s career ended after his death by a sudden stroke. Even after his demise, his works continue to inspire generations and are considered to be a formative influence. For instance, his painting of the iconic city view from the Upper Belvedere holds great importance in discussions on whether the site should be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.