Sold at Auction: Canaletto

(b 1720; d 1780) Bellotto was a Venetian painter and the nephew and pupil of the renowned artist Canaletto. Known mostly for his townscapes, his clear, realistic, and topographically accurate paintings mimicked the style of his more famous uncle. In fact, it seems he sometimes worked under the name Canaletto when outside of Italy, a source of much confusion. Bellotto left Venice and was appointed court painter in Dresden in 1748. He also spent time in Vienna, Munich, and Warsaw, where he remained for the rest of his life. His later style is characterized by naturalistic renderings of cloudy skies, an influence of the Dutch school of painting. His paintings of Warsaw were so faithful to nature that they were referenced when rebuilding the city after World War II.