A Regatta on the Grand Canal 1740

Canaletto created this depiction of *A Regatta on the Grand Canal* using oil paints, a traditional fine art medium since the Renaissance. But even within this convention, there is much to unpack. Look closely, and you'll notice that the city is rendered in a very particular way. Canaletto was known for his *vedute*, or views, and he was in high demand by wealthy tourists wanting to take a piece of Venice home with them. This demand influenced his process: he often used a *camera obscura* to project the scene, tracing it to achieve topographical accuracy. This quasi-mechanical approach allowed for efficiency. Canaletto essentially put his craft in the service of a rising market for images, feeding a growing appetite for souvenirs. In doing so, he gave us a valuable picture, not only of Venice, but of the emerging culture of tourism that shaped it. So, thinking about material and process helps us understand how art is always entwined with its social and economic context.