The view from the Upper Belvedere Palace across a Vienna that had flourished and expanded following the second Turkish siege in 1683 is probably the mostwell-known of the views commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa. These depict palaces (Schönbrunn and Schlosshof ) as well as urban scenes.Bellotto’s stay in Vienna is framed by his departure from Dresden in December 1758 and his arrival in Munich in January 1761. No documents concerning the empress’s commission have been preserved. It is also impossible to reconstruct with certainty the programme that determined the choice of subjects or the place the paintings were originally intended to decorate, but perhaps it was Pressburg (now the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava). Today all thirteen paintings in the series are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum. There is no proof that Bellotto used a camera obscura but it may be assumed that he did so. The device was universally recognised as an aid to drawing in the Netherlandish and German painting of the 16th century. From there it travelled to Italy, where Bellotto’s uncle and teacher, Antonio Canal, used it in making his numerous views of Venice. Both painters, however, altered the images they made with this technical assistance, changing them to create compositions that were more artistically satisfying and took the perception of the human eye into account. In the present view, the placement of the vertical elements – the Church of St. Charles Borromeo (Karlskirche) on the left, the tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the middle, and the dome of the Salesian Church on the right – differs from the actual situation in that here they are an equal distance apart and closer together. Still surrounded by defensive fortifications, the city centre appears unified and relatively distant, extending towards the foothills of the Vienna Woods. The sharply delineated shadows are given particular importance in the composition; in the strictly structured gardens that extend from the ground floor of the palace, they provide rhythm and strengthen the impression of depth in the composition. Enlivening the scene is the addition of numerous small accessory figures (staffage); they make clear the sharply foreshortened (but in reality considerable) length of the pathway between theUpper and Lower Belvedere Palaces. © Cäcilia Bischoff, Masterpieces of the Picture Gallery. A Brief Guide to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 2010
- Title: Vienna Viewed from the Belvedere Palace
- Creator: Bernardo Bellotto, called Canaletto
- Creator Lifespan: 1722/1780
- Creator Nationality: italian
- Creator Gender: male
- Creator Death Place: Warsaw
- Creator Birth Place: Venice
- Date Created: 1759/1760
- Style: Baroque
- Provenance: painted for the Imperial Court
- Physical Dimensions: w2130 x h1350 cm (without frame)
- Inventory Number: GG 1669
- Artist Biography: Bernardo Bellotto's work sometimes has been mistaken for that of his famous uncle Canaletto; the native Venetian spent most of his life outside Italy and signed his works abroad de Canaletto. Bellotto employed cooler colors than Canaletto, however, and showed a stronger feeling for landscape and sky in his vedute, or views. Inducted into the Venetian painters' guild at the early age of seventeen, Bellotto had an influential backer in his uncle Canaletto, who probably needed help to satisfy the great demand for his cityscapes. Traveling to Rome and northern Italy in the 1740s, Bellotto painted his first vedute ideale, or imaginary views. Always maintaining his appreciation of architectural form and the varying tones of differing skies, Bellotto's compositions evolved from sparsely populated, evocative stillness to foregrounds of milling crowds and hustle-bustle. In 1747 he moved to Dresden, becoming the Saxon court's highest paid artist. With the Prussian occupation of Dresden in 1756, Bellotto worked in Vienna and Munich. In 1768 Bellotto became court painter in Warsaw. His topographically accurate vedute, valuable as both art and history, were used to reconstruct Warsaw after the Second World War. ©J. Paul Getty Trust
- Type: paintings
- Medium: Oil on Canvas
DecorArts is a professional wall art company located in California.
Each of our prints is proudly designed and constructed in the USA, right in our workshop. We are dedicated to delivering the finest quality, craftsmanship, and customer service with each and every order. With giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
Want to give the best gift ever? We invite you to browse our Personalized Art Collection, our bestselling collection on Amazon.com. Heartfelt and sure to leave a lasting impression, our personalized artworks are a huge hit at weddings, anniversaries, reunions, and more. Just take a look at the comments left by our happy customers!
We also offer a wide selection of iconic classic paintings -- from Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper to Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night to Hokusai’s The Great Wave of Kanagawa -- all stunningly reproduced with giclée printing technology. Browse our gallery of curated masterpieces, where you’re sure to find your favorites or discover just the right one for your home, office, gift recipient, etc. Have an inquiry? Need some suggestions? Shoot us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
- Any image that is to be printed as a giclée needs to be created at a resolution of no less than 300 dots per inch (DPI). This is to ensure that the final print has the sharpest detail and lacks any of the fragmentation that can occur with images less than 300 DPI.
- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
Our canvas art works arrive ready to hang right out the box! We will affix a sturdy sawtooth hanger to the back of your canvas and include in your package: two screws, two nails, a pair of gloves, and a gradienter (small water level to ensure art is hung straight).
Framed:
Our framed arts are specially designed for both classic art and personalized artwork. Choose from a variety of frames for the perfect one to suit the style of your home.
- Mounted on back flannel so as not to scuff your walls
- Artwork arrives READY TO HANG. Hanging accessories come complimentary
Our frames are specifically chosen to complement each artwork. However, we will gladly accommodate if you'd prefer a different frame. Contact us at customerservice@decorarts.com for inquiries.
