canaletto

GIOVANNI ANTONIO CANAL “CANALETTO” (1697-1768) Artist 41 BEAK STREET, LONDON W1 'Signor Canaleto hereby invites any Gentleman that will be pleased to come to his House, to see a Picture done by him, being A View of St. James's Park, which he hopes may in some Measure deserve their Approbation. The said View may be seen from Nine in the Morning till Three in the Afternoon, and from Four till Seven in the Evening, for the Space of fifteen Days from the Publication of this Advertisement. He lodges at Mr. Richard Wiggan's, Cabinet-Maker, in Silver-Street [now Beak Street], Golden Square.” (Newspaper advertisement of 1749) Canaletto is thought to have used a camera obscura to achieve his incredible level of detail and accuracy, though he was not above changing elements of the geography to make a more pleasing composition. As a fellow artist I find messing with the truth of an image and passing it off as real to be beyond the pale and something that should not tolerated in this day and age.