Square of St. Mark

This painting shows the famous Piazza San Marco in Venice. The square is dominated by a tall stone campanile, with St Mark's Basilica with its Byzantine domes to the left. The square is lined with long rows of historic buildings with arcades. Picturesque stalls with tarpaulins and people walking around in period dress are visible in the square, suggesting that the scene dates from the past.

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Prevailing color of this fine art print is blue and its shape is long. This image is printed on demand - you can choose material, size and finishing.

Canaletto (1697-1681) was born in Venice. He, along with his brother, learned painting from his father. He started as a painter of theatrical backdrops. In his free time, he painted everyday urban life. When he left his father’s workshop, he went to Rome for inspiration. There, he perfected his fondness for painting architectural elements. This can be seen in the detailed Baroque paintings of Venice, where he captured Venice in the period of its greatest beauty and glory. Thanks to the merchant Joseph Smith, Canaletto’s paintings were sold even in England. However, in 1740, the war disrupted the market and a the flurry of British tourists traveling to Venice decreased. This prompted Canaletto to travel to London to keep his clientele. However, English critics described his work as repetitive, and he was labelled a fraud. He did not manage to fix his and so he returned to Venice, where he became a member of the Academy of Arts and painted until his death in 1768.