“Capriccio: Ruins and Classic Buildings” by Canaletto

“Capriccio: Ruins and Classic Buildings” by Canaletto depicts an architectural fantasy, placing together buildings, archaeological ruins, and other structural elements in fictional combinations.

In this painting, Canaletto drew on his studies of identifiable sites and buildings but combined them in an imaginative form to create a poetic image.

In this inventive capriccio, Canaletto brought together different architectural elements of ruins and classical buildings from Rome and Padua.

Many different versions of such compositions were produced, by various artists, indicating an eager market for works of this type.

They were inspired by the classical landscapes of the seventeenth century. Their appeal increased with the growing interest in antiquarianism, archaeology, and the history of things of the past.

Capriccio in Art

Capriccio paintings can be anything from re-imagining a building into the future as ruins or placing structures in entirely different settings from reality.

The subjects of capriccio paintings cannot be taken as an accurate depiction due to the genre’s fantastic nature. Capriccio falls under the broad genre of landscape painting.

This style of painting was introduced in the Renaissance and continued into the Baroque. This artistic freedom in capriccio paintings allows for the transformation of buildings and compositions.

Some artists took elements that didn’t belong in the original inspiration, such as people, animals, or plants, and incorporated them into the work.

It is important to remember that in the realm of Capriccio, a painting of a building is not one of record or history, but that it is a creative artwork.

Explore Capriccio Paintings

“The Aegean Sea” by Frederic Edwin Church
“Dido Building Carthage” by J. M. W. Turner
“Capriccio: Ruins and Classic Buildings” by Canaletto

Canaletto

Giovanni Antonio Canal (1697 – 1768), better known as Canaletto, who was born in Venice, is famous for his paintings of Venice, Rome, and London.

He was also a printmaker using the etching technique. From 1746 to 1756, he worked in England, where he painted the many sights of London.

He was highly successful in England, thanks to a British merchant, whose extensive collection of Canaletto’s works was sold to King George III in 1762, which significantly increased Canaletto’s prestige.

Capriccio: Ruins and Classic Buildings

Title: Capriccio: Ruins and Classic Buildings
Artist: Canaletto
Year: 1730s
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions Height: 87.5 cm (34.4 ″); Width: 120.5 cm (47.4 ″)
Museum: Museo Poldi Pezzoli

Canaletto

Artist: Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto)
Born: 1697 – Venice, Republic of Venice
Died: 1768 (aged 70) – Venice, the Republic of Venice (now Italy)
Nationality: Venetian
Notable works:
- Bucentaur’s return to the pier by the Palazzo Ducale
- The Grand Canal in Venice
- The Entrance to the Grand Canal, Venice
- Piazza San Marco with the Basilica, Venice
- Santa Maria della Salute in Venedig vom Canal Grande
- A Regatta on the Grand Canal
- Prà della Valle in Padua
- “Capriccio: Ruins and Classic Buildings” by Canaletto