Canaletto - Paysage avec un pélerin en prière

Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), better known as Canaletto, was an Italian painter of city views of Venice. He also painted imaginary views, although the sometimes it is hard to say if his work depicts real view or the imaginary one. He was also a printmaker using the etching technique. In the period from 1746 to 1756 he was highly successful in England where he created many views of London. British merchant Joseph Smith collected a large collection of Canaletto's that was sold to King George III in 1762.

A veduta, plural vedute, is a highly detailed, usually large-scale painting or, more often print, of a cityscape or some other landscape. The painters of vedute are referred to as vedutisti. Veduta was introduced by northern European artists, most likely Flanders who worked in Italy, such as Paul Brill (1554–1626), a landscape painter who produced a number of marine views and scenes of Rome that were purchased by visitors. Among the most famous of the vedutisti are four Venetians. Canaletto was probably the greatest of the vedutisti, produced Venetian architecture works. Giacomo Guardi (1678–1716), Giannantonio Guardi (1699–1760), and Francesco Guardi (1712–93), also produced a great number of views of Venice. Giovanni Pannini (c. 1691–1765/68) was the first artist to concentrate on painting ruins.

Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto, was a Venetian painter who specialised in vedute, or cityscapes. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the 18th century and is particularly famous for his depictions of Venice, which he captured with remarkable accuracy and detail. Canaletto was born into a family of painters and was trained by his father, Bernardo Canal. He began his career as a painter of theatrical scenes before turning to veduta. His early work was influenced by the Dutch painter Gerrit Berckheyde, but he later developed his own distinctive style. Canaletto's paintings are characterised by precise architectural detail, luminous skies and vibrant colours. He often painted the same views repeatedly, capturing different times of day and seasons. His work was highly sought after by wealthy collectors and he received commissions from prominent figures such as King George III of England. Despite his success, Canaletto experienced financial difficulties in the latter part of his career and was forced to sell many of his paintings at low prices. He eventually moved to England, where he continued to paint vedute of London and other English cities. Today, Canaletto's paintings are highly regarded and can be found in major museums around the world, including the National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.