1315 - BERNARDO BELLOTTO

BERNARDO BELLOTTO (attributed to) The Locks at Dolo Oil on canvas, 62x81 cm Only one view of the Venetian mainland painted by Bellotto is known: the painting depicting *The Mills on the Brenta at Dolo* in the collection of the Viscount of Hambleden, Henley-on-Thames, executed in 1744—that is, during his stay in Lombardy. This is evidenced by the exceptional quality of the brushwork, the novelty of the realistic depiction of the scene, the bold chiaroscuro contrasts, and the profound lyricism—all elements that are very close to the magical atmosphere of the views of Gazzada. The town of Dolo has become famous in art history not so much for the views painted by Canaletto and Bellotto as for the three stunning etchings that Canaletto created between 1742 and 1744. With few variations in the arrangement of the “macchiette,” this view is derived from that of his uncle Canaletto, which belongs to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Bellotto, however, tends toward a different approach—a realistic, even insistent rendering—which is his novel contribution to Venetian landscape painting, and he would help spread this style throughout Europe through his travels to Dresden, Vienna, and Warsaw. For stylistic reasons, the work should be dated prior to his departure for Dresden in 1747. Entry taken from the catalog cited below, edited by Prof. Rodolfo Pallucchini. Provenance: Private collection, Bergamo Bibliography: M. Valsecchi, *Venezia 700—Francesco Guardi and His Time in Private Collections in Bergamo*, 1969, plate XXXIX Exhibitions: Bergamo, Galleria Lorenzelli, “Venice in the 1700s: Francesco Guardi and His Time in Private Collections in Bergamo,” September–October 1969.