The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister has in its possession a superb ensemble of views of Venice from the hand of the young Canaletto (1697-1768). Painted around 1725, they are incontestably among the highlights in the history of veduta painting. Never again in his life did Canaletto – whose real name was Giovanni Antonio Canal – employ such a free brushstroke or treat the clear light of the City of Lagoons with so painterly an approach.
Our “cabinet exhibition” concentrates on the Canal Grande. This splendid Venetian waterway was the subject of many a painting on canvas and engraving in copper by Canaletto and his contemporaries. Two of the vedute by Canaletto were recently restored with the support of the J. Paul Getty Trust (Los Angeles) and are now being placed on public display in Dresden for the first time. The exhibition not only explains the restoration process but also provides fascinating insights into the artist’s painting technique with the aid of x-ray and infrared images.
An introductory section to the show presents striking examples from the history of European veduta painting. In addition to such artists as Gaspar van Wittel and Luca Carlevarijs, Bernardo Bellotto is represented here. Bellotto was in the employ of King August III in Dresden for nearly twenty years and, like his famous uncle, also referred to himself as Canaletto. Since many artists of that time used the camera obscura to capture reality, an entire section of the exhibition is devoted to this optical device.

May 10 to July 27, 2008. The restored Masterpiece. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Semperbau at the Zwinger