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"Antonio Canova today embodies the essence of Neoclassicism but was an absolute protagonist of world art at the turn of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Defined by his contemporaries as the "novello Fidia", his works are in the major collections of the world, from the United States to Russia. This book was born for the celebrations of the two hundred years since the death of the artist, occurred in Venice in 1822, and is proposed as an itinerary to guide the visitor to the discovery of the multiple artistic testimonies left by the sculptor, painter and architect in his region, the Veneto, to which he remained always attached. Possagno, Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Padua, Verona and Venice are rich in works preserved in museums, palaces and churches in the area. The Temple of Possagno was given by the artist to his native country while at the behest of his brother Giovanni Battista, after the death of Antonio, most of the works from the Roman atelier were transferred to Possagno and Bassano del Grappa. If to admire his marble sculptures you have to go around the world, just go to Possagno, to see gathered in one place over three hundred works of the artist (sculptures, drawings, engravings and paintings). The volume offers a permanent tour to discover the Venetian territory: in addition to the works, visitors are invited to discover the "Canovian places" particularly significant in the artist's life." -- From the publisher's website.
Summary
A traveler's guide to key works by the greatest Neoclassical sculptor, on the 200th anniversary of his death
Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists, Antonio Canova (1757–1822) combined Greek and Roman sculptural idioms with a nascent Romanticism to forge a new vocabulary for Neoclassicism. Even within in his own lifetime, Canova’s works could be found in major collections across the world, from the United States to Russia.
Marking the 200th anniversary of the artist’s death, this guidebook offers a series of itineraries to guide the visitor on an exploration of the many works left by the sculptor, painter and architect in his home region of the Veneto, with which he always maintained close ties. The museums, palazzi and churches of Possagno, Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Padua, Verona and Venice are filled with Canova’s works, and with sites relevant to his life. Canova in the Veneto thus offers a fresh way to discover the Veneto region.
