Because of the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748), which became especially threatening in north Italy in 1745 and 1746, Canaletto traveled to his patrons in London in the spring of 1746 and he stayed in England for almost ten years.[1] When he first arrived, he painted scenes of the Westminster Bridge. For the Duke of Northumberland, he painted London: Seen through an Arch of Westminster Bridge (fig. 8), a work that

was likely of particular importance to the Duke who was overseeing the project of constructing the new bridge at the time.[2] This striking composition is highlighted by the dynamic relationship between curvilinear and horizontal lines. The structure of the semi-circular arch frames the view of London, which is highlighted by the overwhelmingly large yellowish-blue sky. Instead of using his traditional bright blue, sunny hues to depict the sky, he has chosen colors that represent dusk or dawn. The bridge is positioned at an angle, so that it creates depth and does not act as a barrier between the viewer and the Thames.[3] It is placed slightly off-center, so that more of the bridge to the left is included. A bucket hanging at the right helps to balance this out and add more linear interest. Through the bridge, the viewer can see the top of the church of Saint Clement Danes in the center, Saint Paul’s Cathedral toward the right, and the Water Tower and York Water Gate at the left.[4] Although the subject is London, Canaletto has given the picture a number of Venetian qualities. First of all, he has positioned himself on the river, just as he frequently positioned himself on the canals of Venice, so that the water plays a fundamental role in the composition. As is the case in many of his Venetian scenes, the sky occupies more than two-thirds of the canvas. In addition, the buildings are painted with the same kind of precision and attention to architectural detail, while the figures add life to the scene. The one unusual feature is the huge arch of the bridge, through which the viewer sees all of London, a new kind of viewpoint that would have impressed Canaletto’s British contemporaries.

While he was in England, Canaletto began to invent landscapes and combine elements from different sources with greater confidence. What was real and what was

imagined in his work became much more obvious. With representations like Capriccio: River Landscape with a Ruin and Reminiscences of England  (fig. 9) and its companion Capriccio: River Landscape with a Column, a Ruined Roman Arch, and Reminiscences of England of about 1754 (fig. 10), for example, he truly assimilated two worlds into one.[5] In both paintings, Canaletto creates a scene that combines the modern British countryside with buildings, ruins, and monuments that come from ancient and modern Italy.[6] Known as the Lovelace Canalettos because they were sold by the Earl of Lovelace in 1937, these were most likely commissioned by the 5^th Lord King of Surrey.[7] It is said that when the second painting was completed, Canaletto placed an advertisement in the newspaper announcing that he was holding an exhibition in his London home, partly for publicity and partly to prove he was the real Canaletto. (In Venice at the time, his nephew Bernardo Bellotto was calling himself “Canaletto” and was producing views that were similar to his uncle’s in style.[8]) Because of the way Canaletto had combined so completely two different worlds in one composition, the painting attracted much attention, and for good reason. In the foreground, there is a tall Corinthian column with a saint on the top. In the middle ground toward the left, there is a triumphal arch that could have been inspired by any number of architectural

monuments in Rome. Also in the middle ground toward the right and behind the column is an aqueduct-like bridge that resembles Westminster Bridge.[9] In some ways it appears that the background is split by the two worlds. On the left-hand side, the vegetation, greenery, and hilly landscape resemble a scene that can be found in England. Off to the right, even farther back in the composition, the cityscape appears to be Italian-inspired, with a prominent dome protruding upward. Trees on either side delicately frame the painting, and the sky, moving from a peachy tone to bright blue in the upper right-hand corner, has the tonalities that are often found in Canaletto’s own creations. Some unusual features of these two paintings and of other works produced by Canaletto in England are the rather smooth handling of the landscape and the generalization figures that look like blotches of color. This is a new style in Canaletto’s work, very different from the highly detailed and individualized figures that appear in the paintings he had made before that time.[10] With this shift in style Canaletto may have been catering to the specific tastes of his clients or may have been thinking about how these works were going to be displayed.  If they were only going to be seen from a distance, they did not have to be as carefully painted as they would have to have been if they were going to be seen close up.  In any case, this bold style is a characteristic of some of the paintings Canaletto made while he was in England.

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