Canaletto
(Bernardo Bellotto) – 1721-1780
Architectural and cityscape painter.
Trained by his uncle.
Born in Venice.
Worked from 1745 in Germany.
Court painter in Warsaw from 1770.
On the way to the castle square, you’ll come across a series of glass cubes with images of nearby buildings.
The paintings are reproductions of Canaletto’s works from the 1700s.
This Venetian artist worked from 1767 for the Polish king, and has since been called the photographic apparatus of his time.
The old buildings were destroyed during WW2.
The reconstructions are largely based on Canaletto’s paintings, which you can convince yourself of by comparing the painting with the building opposite.
Canaletto’s paintings can be seen at the Royal Palace in Warsaw and the National Museum.
Replicas can also be seen on the approach road to the old town, where they are displayed in glass cases opposite the building they depict (se picture below).
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