About Neclassical Sculptor Antonio Canova
Canova’s interpretation of classicism established a cultural foundation for modern Italy.
Cover photo: Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, 1787-93, marble, by Antonio Canova, Musée du Louvre, Paris, France (2017). Photo by DannyWithLove.
Antonio Canova, oil on canvas, by John Jackson (1819 or 1820). Via Wikimedia (cropped).
November 1st is the birthday of the Italian neoclassical master sculptor Antonio Canova. He was born in the village of Possagno in 1757.
Canova was adored for his refined, idealized bodies, in dynamic compositions. His designs attracted the attention of aristocrats, popes, and the Emperor Napoleon.
Such renown even reached the United States, where Canova received a commission on the recommendation of former President Thomas Jefferson.
Born to a family of stonemasons, Canova learned to wield a chisel as a child. His prodigious abilities caught the attention of Senator Giovanni Falier who would see to Canova’s education and act as his first patron.
In 1775 — at the age of 18 or so — Canova opened his first studio in Venice but it was in Rome where he would produce such masterpieces as The Three Graces and Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss.
The Three Graces, 1814-1817, marble, by Antonio Canova, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom (2013). Photo by Ketrin1407 and via Wikimedia (color-corrected and cropped).
Perseus with the Head of Medusa, 1804-06, marble, by Antonio Canova, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York, United States (2021). Photo by DannyWithLove.
Purchased by Pope Pius VII in 1801, Canova’s Triumphant Perseus was the first modern artwork to enter the Vatican’s collection. In the following year, Pius VII designated Canova as the Inspector General of the Fine Arts of the Papal States.
In 1804, Canova was commissioned by Prince Camillo Borghese to create a portrait of his wife Pauline Borghese — the sister of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte — as the Roman goddess Venus.
“One toils day and night on the Greek example and tries to understand their style. Let it enter one’s blood, make it one’s own,” wrote Canova in 1806.
By embracing Roman ideals, Canova established the aesthetic of a unified Italy. “Canova lay the framework for future nationalists while sculpting mythological deities and heroes,” argues social historian Ana-Teodora Kurkina.
Arts scholar Christina Ferando affirms, “As a Venetian … who worked for aristocrats across the peninsula in Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan, and who was celebrated for his role in safe-guarding the cultural patrimony of the Papal States, Canova was heralded by the end of the century as a proto-Risorgimento hero.”
Following Canova’s death in 1822, commemorations were held across Italy. He remains one of the nation’s most celebrated artists.
Apollo Crowning Himself, 1781-82, marble, by Antonio Canova, Getty Center, Los Angeles, California, United States (2021). Photo by DannyWithLove.
Venus Victrix (Paulina Bonaparte), 1805-1808, marble, by Antonio Canova, Borghese Gallery, Rome, Italy (2016). Photo by Rafael Edwards and via Flickr (color-corrected and cropped).
Theseus and the Centaur, 1805-19, marble, by Antonio Canova, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Vienna, Austria (2017). Photo by DannyWithLove.
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