Wide angle
The field of vision broadens towards wide angle views.
- Paul and Thomas Sandby, View from the Gardens of Somerset House, Looking East
- (© Copyright British Museum)
[click on the picture to enlarge it]
- Paul and Thomas Sandby, View from the Gardens of Somerset House, Looking West
- (© Copyright British Museum)
[click on the picture to enlarge it]
The Sandby brothers reworked the double motif of Canaletto, replacing its classical format by a very long rectangle, which offered these two experts in geometry (topographers and architectural draughtsmen) the opportunity to study wide angle effects and the margins of the field of vision. The result moves towards panoramic vision.
From Canaletto to Sandby
Canaletto’s paintings are placed on top, with Sandby’s appearing behind, the corresponding parts of the townscape reduced to the same scale.
- Canaletto’s angles of view appear in red, Sandby’s in dotted blue lines.
[click on the picture to enlarge it]
A comparison between the actual sizes of the paintings :
- Canaletto’s views (in red) are almost the same width as Sandby’s (in blue) though the space covered by the view is less than half ;
- Sandby’s wide angle is emphasised by the comparatively the smaller height of the painting (proportionally half Canaletto’s), placing less emphasis on the sky
To see Sandby’s paintings first
On Sandby’s paintings, the part covered by Canaletto’s paintings is marked by the white frame.
- Sandby’s angles of view appear in blue, Canaletto’s in dotted red lines.
[click on the picture to enlarge it]
A comparison between the actual sizes of the paintings :
- Canaletto’s views (in red) are almost the same width as Sandby’s (in blue) though the space covered by the view is less than half ;
- Sandby’s wide angle is emphasised by the comparatively the smaller height of the painting (proportionally half Canaletto’s), placing less emphasis on the sky
