Tag Archives: Venice

Canaletto & the Art of Venice

Canaletto & the Art of Venice, The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. London SW1, until 12th November 2017

Canaletto, Piazza San Marco looking west towards San Geminiano, c.1723-4, part of a set of six views of Venice.
Royal Collection Trust/(c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

The two key figures in this remarkable show are Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice, and George III. The former was also Canaletto’s agent and dealer encouraging the artist to depict Venetian life for the Grand Tour visitors, especially the English ones, in the first half of the 18th century. The latter in 1762 bought almost all of Smith’s collection of paintings, drawings, medals and books which included Canaletto paintings, drawings and etchings as well as the works of other Venetian painters of the day.

Canaletto, The Pantheon, 1742, part of a set of five Roman views.
Royal Collection Trust/(c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

This superb exhibition proves how wise George III was and how fortunate we are to be able to see it brought together – it is the best group of Canaletto’s works in the world! Alongside his paintings of Venice are the series of 5 large-scale Roman views which Canaletto painted in 1742.  I particularly liked the smaller view of the Grand Canal (The Grand Canal looking north-west from near the Rialto) showing Smith’s palazzo with its new classical façade altered later by the artist.

Rosalba Carriera,’Winter’, c. 1726
Royal Collection Trust/(c)Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016

Add to this works by Sebastiano and Marco Ricci, Francesco Zuccarelli, Rosalba Carriera, Pietro Longhi and Giovanni Battista Piazzetta and one really gets an absorbing picture of life in 18th century Venice. I loved the Sebastiano Ricci of The Adoration of the Kings (1726) because of the way Christ’s arm and hand are outstretched touching one of the king’s heads in benediction.

Canaletto, The Mouth of the Grand Canal looking West towards the Carita, c.1729-30, from a set of 12 paintings of the Grand Canal.
Royal Collection Trust/(c) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

This exhibition should not be missed!

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

Marco Ricci, Farinelli in walking dress, c.1729-30
Royal Collection Trust/(c)Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016

Victoria Crowe OBE RA

 ‘Victoria Crowe’, Browse & Darby, 19 Cork Street, London, W1, until 2nd June 2017

Crowe,
Evening Hillside and Thaw,
oil on board, 12 x 19 inches

This is the artist’s third ‘one-man’ show with the gallery and celebrates new paintings of Scotland and Venice – places where she has studios. They are shown alongside preparatory works on paper and prints.  It is no wonder that Crowe is regarded as one of Scotland’s most noteworthy contemporary artists.

28. Crowe,
Reflected Skyline ,Tramonto,
oil and mixed media on paper, 15 x 23 inches

www.browseanddarby.co.uk

WILLER

“Micheluzzi: Mosaico”, Willer, 12-14 Holland Street, Kensington, London W8, until 30 July 2016

Michelluzi at Willer © Bill Batten

Michelluzi at Willer
© Bill Batten

This a wonderful celebration of the Venetian art of glass making by the famous Massimo Micheluzzi. As the images reveal he is a master of technique and has created these striking contemporary pieces which are inspired by the traditional terrazzo floors and mosaics of Venice, his native city.

Michelluzi at Willer © Bill Batten

Michelluzi at Willer
© Bill Batten

He says of his new collection “Glass is a complex and surprising material. There’s a form of alchemy involved in working with this material and countless secrets to be discovered. My work recalls the atmosphere of Venice, the lagoon, the silvery waterways and the cloudy skies. I use glass to convey a feeling of motion.”

Michelluzi at Willer © Bill Batten

Michelluzi at Willer
© Bill Batten

 www.willer.co.uk

Three Mayfair Galleries

 

Tilson: The Stones of Venice, Marlborough Fine Art, 6 Albemarle Street, London W1, until 2nd April 2016

Joe Tilson, The Stones of Venice La Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, Venessia, 2014, acrylic on canvas on wood relief, 50 x 75 cm, © Joe Tilson, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art, London

Joe Tilson, The Stones of Venice La Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, Venessia, 2014,
acrylic on canvas on wood relief, 50 x 75 cm,
© Joe Tilson, courtesy Marlborough Fine Art, London

This artist had his first exhibition at the gallery in 1962 and this is his seventh solo show there and is inspired by Ruskin’s eponymous book The Stones of Venice. Many of the paintings combine buildings and flooring patterns, sometimes with words too, to create a colourful whole. Joe Tilson’s thick application of acrylic evokes the decaying fabric of many Venetian buildings.

http://www.marlboroughfineart.com

 

 

Martyn Brewster – An exhibition of recent paintings and drawings, Waterhouse & Dodd, 47 Albemarle Street, London W1, until 24thMarch 2016

To the sea Acrylic & collage on canvas 47 x 47 in / 120 x 120 cm Signed, titled & dated on reverse

To the sea
Acrylic & collage on canvas
47 x 47 in / 120 x 120 cm
Signed, titled & dated on reverse

Whilst continuing his coastal light theme in this exhibition those more familiar with his work will see that his combination of abstraction with the landscape has evolved stylistically.

www.waterhousedodd.com

 

 

Between the Eyes, Sotheby’s S|2 Gallery, 31 St George Street, London W1, until 24th March 2016

Bruce Nauman, Double Poke in the Eye II, 1985, Courtesy of Sotheby's

Bruce Nauman,
Double Poke in the Eye II, 1985,
Courtesy of Sotheby’s

This show traces the development of Minimalist and Conceptual Art from the 60s onwards with an emphasis on those works that interact between the brain and the eye. The artists featured include John Baldessari, Alighiero Boetti, Dan Flavin, Wade Guyton, Damien Hirst, Donald Judd, Joseph Kosuth, Yayoi Kusama, Sol Lewitt, Robert Mangold, Francois Morellet, Bruce Nauman, Robert Ryman, Rudolf Stingel and James Turrel.

http://www.sothebys.com