On one of the hottest days in the summer we visited the National Maritime Museum
in Greenwich to take a guided tour of the Canaletto’s “Venice Revisited” exhibition. Some had enjoyed a Thames Clipper ride from Waterloo, others met at the museum, and we were all delighted to find the building was air-conditioned! We were welcomed by the exhibition curator Laura and one of her team guide, Hannah, who took us around and explained the history of the pictures pointing out particular highlights.
This major exhibition displays the complete set of 24 Venetian views painted by
Canaletto in the 1730s. This unique set of paintings was commissioned in 1731 by
Lord John Russell, the future 4 th Duke of Bedford, following his visit to Venice while
on his Grand Tour, and are on loan from Woburn Abbey.
The pictures usually hang in groups of four on the dining room walls at Woburn Abbey but here they were displayed individually so it was possible to see the pictures at close quarters. They illustrate various detailed scenes of Venetian daily life: the canals, piazzas and many now famous Venetian landmarks including St. Mark’s Square (last visited by Gemini members on a virtual tour during lockdown). Special events e.g. the Ascension Day ceremony of the Marriage of the Adriatic where the Doge casts a ring into the water from his golden barge, or the gondola regatta on the Grand Canal were also highlighted.
Animated enlargements of some of the pictures drew attention to particular features e.g. a woman doing her laundry at the top of a building, or the way Canaletto suggested movement by painting a boat’s or gondola’s prow “entering” the picture from the right. The detail in the pictures was extraordinary from the people, the dogs seemingly in every picture, to the architectural features of the buildings. The black gondolas, as you might expect, feature in many of the pictures with their distinctive prow, the fero da prova, single oar and often a felt cabin, the felze, designed to give
privacy to the occupants.
Some of the pictures include the green algae stains showing the highest water level. Scientists have compared these marks with those on Venetian buildings today and estimate that the water level rose approximately 60 cm between Canaletto’s time and the early 2000’s.This provided a powerful link to the Venice of today and the challenges it faces, not just from rising water levels and flooding, but also from the ever-increasing numbers of tourists. It was interesting to note that tourists now come to experience the flooding for themselves with the aid of pull on, knee high, waterproof overshoes.
After exploring the exhibition we adjourned to the restaurant for lunch and time to catch up with friends. If you weren’t able to join us the exhibition runs until September 25 th and there is more information on the museum website.
- Report by Susan Jagelman.
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