Ale Porte del Dolo (At the Dolo Locks)

Artist Antonio Canaletto (Italian, 1697–1768)

Dateca. 1740–46

MediumEtching on laid paper

DimensionsImage: 11 7/8 x 17 1/8 inches (30.2 x 43.5 cm);
Sheet: 14 1/2 x 19 3/4 inches (36.8 x 50.2 cm)

ClassificationsPrints

Credit LineBequest of William P. Chapman, Jr., Class of 1895

Terms

Landscape
Italian
Etching
Boats
Business
Canals
Church of San Rocco, Dolo, Italy
Docks
Gondolas
River Brenta, Italy
Riverbanks
Rivers
Townscapes
Transportation
laid paper

Object number56.376

Label CopyAntonio Canal, known as Canaletto, was the son of a theatrical scene painter, Bernardo Canal, from whom he learned his technique. A native of Venice, he branched out in his own career, and specialized in depicting his home city in charismatic views of the canals and bridges. Unlike his contemporaries, Canaletto preferred to focus on quotidian scenes rather than the well-known monuments. He began primarily with drawings and paintings, and turned to etching later in his career, as the technique became revitalized in the 1740s. "Ale Porte del Dolo" is one of his earliest views, where a shadowed pleasure boat proceeds toward sunlit buildings in the background, exemplifying his exceptional attention to lighting and depth.

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