BELLOWS FALLS — RAMParts Presents, in partnership with Exhibition on Screen, brings the 90-minute feature film, Canaletto and the Art of Venice to the Bellows Falls Opera House on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m., for an immersive journey into the life and art of Venice's famous view-painter.
No artist better captures the essence and allure of Venice than Giovanni Antonio Canal, better known as Canaletto, according to a news release. And included in the ticket price for this film is a Venetian Carnevale experience.
From 6 to 7 p.m., enjoy the music of famous Italian composer, pianist, and conductor, Nino Rota, who scored many operas and films including La Dolce Vita, Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, and The Godfather. Refreshments include Carnevale street sweets from Keene Confections Pastry Shoppe.
An authentic, signed Carnevale mask from Venice, courtesy of Creative Encounters in Keene, N.H., will be raffled off before the film begins. Enjoy an Italian musical performance, including opera, from 7-7:30 p.m. onstage before the film, featuring performers Allie McGahie, Zac Binney, Josh Delaney, and Lara Germana.
Despite Canaletto's close relationship with the city in which he lived and died, the world's largest collection of his works resides not in his native Italy but in Britain as part of the Royal Collection. In 1762, George III purchased almost the entire collection amassed by Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice and Canaletto's principal agent.
The Royal Collection includes more than 200 paintings, drawings, and prints on display, which offer unparalleled insight into the artistry of Canaletto and his contemporaries, and the city he became a master at capturing. The film also offers the chance to step inside two official royal residences - Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle - to learn more about the artist and Joseph Smith, the man who introduced Canaletto to Britain.