View Of the Entrance To The Arsenal

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View Of the Entrance To The Arsenal: Canaletto

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Art Type: Oil Painting
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Canaletto Oil Painting - View Of the Entrance To The Arsenal

Keywords: View, Entrance, Arsenal

Work Overview: View of the Entrance to the Arsenal
Canaletto
Date: 1732; Venice, Italy *
Style: Baroque
Genre: veduta
Media: oil, canvas
Dimensions: 47 x 78.8 cm
Location: Private Collection

In the 1730s Canaletto received many commissions from Great Britain, these included 24 vedute for the Duke of Bedford. These depicted the most famous sights of Venice, though a few of them are devoted to less well-known location, like the Campo Santa Maria Formosa, the View of the Entrance to the Arsenal and the Campo San Rocco.

This painting is one of 24 works by Canaletto bought by the 4th Duke of Bedford which remain together at Woburn Abbey.

The powerful Venetian fleets were built in the city's Arsenal, or naval boatyard, which had been established in the twelfth century. This view shows its water entrance, with dry docks and a ship inside, and to the left the Great Gateway which was built in 1460.

Canaletto followed the preparatory composition he established on paper in the painting in most respects, although in the latter he placed the two towers either side of the entrance further apart. The diagonals of the wooden footbridge in the foreground effectively vary and break up what would otherwise be a very static composition based upon vertical and horizontal emphases.

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Beneath a pale blue wintry sky, the citizens of Venice’s Castello
district go quietly about their business along the Campo
dell’Arsenale. Small boats, including the ubiquitous gondola,
ply their way under a wooden suspended footbridge
(now iron). Beyond the bridge, a pair of crenellated red
brick towers guards the entrance to a canal basin whose
massive open gates reveal a large masted ship and the
dry docks’ serrated roofline. By the left-hand tower stands
a magnificent gateway whose striking portico bears St.
Mark’s lion and other imposing statuary, whilst in front
of the right-hand tower, sits a diminutive Greek temple
(16th century Oratorio d’Madonna dell’Arsenale), where
a woman kneels to pray. In the distance is the spire of the
10th century Sant’ Angelo.
This picture (47 3 78.8 cm oil on canvas) is one of 22
vedute (views) purchased in 1736 by John 4th Duke of
Bedford and hangs in the Dining Room at Woburn
Abbey, residence of the current 15th Duke. The painting
shows the entrance to the Arsenale, site of Venetian shipbuilding
for over 600 years. The Antonio Gambello gatewayonthe
left isareinterpretation ofthe triumphalRoman
Arch of the Sergii in Pula (Croatia) [1]. The archway’s St.
Mark’s lion is a symbol of Venice’s imperial power [2], and
the statue of Santa Giustina on the archway’s pinnacle celebrates
the Venetian navy’s victory over the Turkish fleet at
LepantoonGiustina’sfeastday(7October)1571.Thetwo
lions at the base of the portico and various classical statues
of the gods were added in 1682 [3].
Founded around 1100 AD, the Arsenale expanded
greatly during the 15th and 16th centuries to meet Turkey’s
naval threat [3]. Surrounded by 2.5 miles of brick
walls (30 ft high in places), it eventually covered 60 acres,
with berths for 80 galleys as well as dry docks and
a foundry. It employed over 4000 workers (Arsenalotti) including
gunmakers, oarmakers, mastmakers and sailmakers
(many of whom were women). This ‘‘Factory
of Marvels’’ could prepare 30 galleys for sea in 10 days.
It was one of the earliest and largest examples of state capitalist
industry—perhaps the greatest manufactory of the
pre-industrial world [4]. However, constant friction between
management and labour impeded the Arsenale’s
ability to adapt to the rapid developments in 18th century
shipbuilding techniques and lead ultimately to its subsequent
decline and closure in 1810

Giovanni Antonio Canal was born in Venice (1697) the
son of a theatrical scene painter (Bernardo Canal—hence,
Canaletto or ‘Little Canal’) with whom he apprenticed,
painting sets for operas in Venice and Rome. Returning
to Venice (1720), he abandoned theatrical work in favour
oftopographicalpainting(thoughoftenwithastage-setappearance)
for which he is now famous [6]. A superb and
prolific draughtsman he worked in the studio from drawings
made ‘on-site’, probably using a camera obscura
[7,8].Hemeticulously capturedarchitecturaldetailbutoften
changed the size and position of buildings to create better
compositions. He worked intermittently in Britain
(1746–1756) but many authorities consider his earlier
paintings with their ‘‘lyrical union of sky, light and water’’
[7]ashisbest.In1756, hereturnedagaintoVeniceandwas
finally elected to the Venetian Academy of Fine Arts
(1763). Five years later, he died of a ‘fever’ aged 71 years
and was buried in the Venetian church of San Lio, where he
had been baptized.
After the Arsenale’s closure, shipbuilding continued
elsewhere in La Serenissima (Venice) and more recently
has been associated with the occurrence of malignant mesotheliomas
in the region [9] (although construction [10]
and textile work [11] have also contributed). Since1968,
UK mesothelioma deaths have risen from 153 to 2249
[12] and are expected to peak between the years 2016
(males) [13] and 2026 (females) [14]. Nevertheless, despite
calls for an international ban worldwide, asbestos
use continues unabated [15]. Meanwhile, the Arsenale
has become a playground for exhibiting modern art

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Canaletto

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