Antonio Canova was a prominent Italian Neoclassical sculptor celebrated for his work in marble. Canova began working with marble before the age of ten, and enrolled with the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia around 1772.
Establishing a Studio and Career Growth
Canova won numerous prizes and received several commissions, which encouraged him to open his own studio at Calle Del Traghetto at S. Maurizio in 1779. Canova henceforth travelled to and worked in several European cities before returning to Italy in 1816, where he continued to work until his death in 1822.
Artistic Style and Innovations
Such was Canova’s success that he no longer had to rely on funerary monument commissions to realise larger-scale works. He began to explore freestanding classical figures which were often inspired by antiquity. Canova’s great gift was his ability to handle classical subjects on a manner that eluded the melodrama of antiquity and the artificiality of Neoclassicism.
Legacy and Influence
Canova is often regarded as the greatest Neoclassical artist, which is evidenced by his series of important international patrons including Napoleon Bonaparte and Popes Pius VI and VII. His work is held in many institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre in Paris, and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
