Bernardo Bellotto

Bernardo Bellotto painted city views with sharp detail and cool, clear light. The nephew and pupil of Canaletto, he took the Venetian view painting north and recorded the cities of Central Europe.

Born in Venice, he worked in Venice and Rome and then in Dresden, Vienna and Munich before settling in Warsaw, where he worked for King Stanisław August Poniatowski. His views of Warsaw are so exact that they were used to help rebuild the city after the Second World War.

His works are in Dresden, Vienna and the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Look at the long shadows and the careful details of buildings and people.