Venice in Amsterdam.(Report from Europe)( Venezia! Art from the 18th Century)

In the eighteenth century Venice was an important center of music, theater, literature, and art. The city is at a crossroads of western and eastern Europe, which made it irresistible to many travelers, particularly those on the grand tour. It was imperative to return home with tales of the classical monuments of Rome, the achievements of Renaissance Florence, and accounts of adventures in Saint Mark's Square. Venice may well have been the first European city to invent itself as a tourist destination, thanks largely to the great number of paintings made of the city.

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Depictions of Venice's buildings and canals are synonymous with the work of Antonio Canaletto and Francesco Guardi. Their paintings were the ultimate souvenir of the grand tour, and they continue to hang in the houses once occupied by the young men of rank who bought them fresh from the artists' studios. Canaletto was, in fact, "discovered" in 1725 by Owen McSwiney and Joseph Smith, who exploited his talents and invited him to England, where he was an immediate success. On his return to his native city, Canaletto opened ...