BRATTLEBORO — Exhibition Screen begins its 2017-18 season with Canaletto and The Art of Venice, an immersive journey into the life and art of Venice's famous view painter. Canaletto and The Art of Venice will be presented at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St., on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2-3, at 4 p.m.
No artist better captures the essence and allure of Venice than Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto.
Despite Canaletto's association with the city in which he lived and died, the world's largest collection of his works resides in Britain as part of the Royal Collection. In 1762, King George III purchased almost the entire collection amassed by Joseph Smith, British consul in Venice and Canaletto's principal agent.
Exhibition in Screen's newest film grants viewers unique access to the Royal Collection's exceptional holdings of Canaletto's work, much of which has been on display as part of the exhibition Canaletto and The Art of Venice at The Queen's Gallery.
The remarkable group of more than 200 paintings, drawings, and prints on display offers unparalleled insight into the art of Canaletto and his contemporaries, and the city he became a master at capturing.
The film also offers a chance to step inside two royal residences - Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle - to learn more about the artist and Joseph Smith.
From London, Canaletto and The Art of Venice travels to the great Italian City to explore the origins of Canaletto's art. While appearing to be faithful representations of the city, the artist's skill came from his manipulation of reality. He moved buildings around or opened up vistas to create the perfect composition.
His playful imagination pioneered a new genre. The “capriccio” combined real and fantasy architecture into imagined views.
Guided by Royal Collection Trust curators and the world's leading experts in Venetian history, the film is not only a way to see the exhibition, but also an opportunity to get closer to Canaletto and the city that inspired him.