The artwork titled “Grand Canal, Looking East from the Campo San Vio” was created by the artist Canaletto in the year 1723 in Venice, Italy. This captivating piece is executed in oil on canvas and belongs to the Baroque art movement. Measuring 140.5 by 204.5 centimeters, it exemplifies the veduta genre—a highly detailed, large-scale painting of a cityscape or some other vista. Currently, the artwork is housed in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain.
The painting depicts a bustling view of the Grand Canal in Venice, as seen from the Campo San Vio. The composition is both detailed and expansive, capturing a multitude of buildings, gondolas, and sailing vessels that populate the scene. The architectonic grandeur of the Venetian palazzos aligns on either side of the canal, their facades gleaming beneath the gently diffused daylight. In the foreground, several boats are anchored or in motion, contributing a dynamic quality to the serene waters above which a pale blue sky, interspersed with light, wispy clouds, stretches expansively, adding depth and atmosphere to the scene. The meticulous attention to architectural and atmospheric details underscores Canaletto’s mastery in rendering the splendor of Venice, making the artwork a remarkable example of the veduta genre within the Baroque period.