Antonio Canova, one of the leading sculptors in the history of Western art
If you happen to be visiting Asolo or Bassano del Grappa, two of the most charming small towns of Veneto, you may want to venture just a few miles north where, sitting at the foothills of the Alps, you will find Possagno. At first you’ll likely find it a rather anonymous village whose name (Possa= valley, agno = lamb) clearly indicates its pastoral origins.
Tempio Canoviano, Possagno
However, looking around to the highest point of the village toward the north side of the mountains, your eye is immediately drawn to the majestic Tempio Canoviano.
It is a church conceived by the sculptor Antonio Canova, born in this town 1757. He built it in the last part of his career, imitating the style of the famous Pantheon in Rome. Although he personally placed the first stone on June 11, 1819, it was not completed until ten years after his death. He had wanted to be buried in the Pantheon, where other important Italians like Raphael are buried. With that honor denied to him, he chose to duplicate it in Possagno.
Antonio Canova self portrait (1757-1822)
The obvious question is, did Canova have the right to request such an important burial? The answer is a resounding yes. Antonio Canova is considered the most important sculptor of the late eighteenth century. After the artistic excesses of the Baroque period, Canova proposed a return to a clear and simple classical form of sculpture inspired by Roman art.
It is enough to look at Eurydice and Orpheus, below, that Canova completed when he was only twenty years old, to understand the basics of Canova’s aesthetic principles.
Eurydice and Orpheus, from Museo Correr, Venice
As was common at that time, the young Canova travelled to major Italian sites like Rome, Florence and Naples to acquire familiarity with ancient classical art and more recent Renaissance masterpieces. At the end of this educational journey he ended up establishing a studio in Rome.
Theseus and the Minotaur (1782)
The first major work after his move was Theseus and the Minotaur (1782), a piece that shows Canova’s ridding himself of the inherited aspects of Baroque style to introduce the new Neoclassical aesthetic. The marble original is in London in the Victoria and Albert Museum, with gypsum copies in Rome and Venice.
Triumphant Perseus (1800)
When his statue, The Triumphant Perseus was purchased by the Vatican, it became the first modern piece to be part of its collection. He slowly acquired the trust of popes, and under Pius VII he became Inspector General of the Fine Arts of the Papal States, bringing with it a complete control of all Vatican museums.
Napoleon Bonaparte (1808-1814)
During Napoleon’s campaign in Italy he also worked for the French general, completing the well-known bust of him in the style of a dignified Roman emperor.
From 1780 on, his reputation grew rapidly. He received many commissions to build a variety of artistic objects: from funerary monuments for popes to portraits and sculptures inspired by classical antiquity.
His studio in Rome became a popular destination for admirers and pilgrims visiting the Eternal City. In fact, it became almost a museum of his creative process as the studio showed the entire step-by-step sequence of Canova’s production technique. The was showcased through the creation of small terracotta bozzetti, large clay models, and a variety of plaster casts. The plaster casts, in particular, allowed his studio to make replicas for his clients and also to make changes, as his artistic ideas were in constant evolution.
In Possagno you will also find, next to Canova’s home, the Gypsoteca Canoviana. It was here that in 1829 Canova’s brother Giovanni Battista Sartori brought all the plaster casts originally preserved in Canova’s studio in Rome. Thanks as well to the availability of oil and tempera paintings, drawings, memories, clothes, tools and books, this is much more than a museum. It is a true artist’s experience where the creative process is revealed through all of these mediums. The entrance to the Gypsoteca is 10 euros with discounts given at 6 and 8 euros.
Gypsoteca Canoviana
Canova spent the last years of his life planning the imposing Tempio Canoviano. A tribute to Roman and Greek design that reminds one of both the Pantheon and the Parthenon, it was an opportunity to show his skills not just as a sculptor, but also as a painter and architect.
Interior of Tempio Canoviana
Canova’s tomb
Although Canova’s reputation suffered a decline in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was revived by Italian scholarship in the 1950s, and today he has resumed his place as one of the leading sculptors in the history of Western art.
If you want to combine art with good food, the surrounding area will not disappoint. There are a number of restaurants that will undoubtedly satisfy your culinary interests. One I would highly recommend just a short ride from the Gypsoteca, in the small Village of Cavaso del Tomba, is La Locanda alla Posta which in centuries past was the home of the local post office.
It is an osteria located in a building, Villa Zanetti, that dates back to the 16th century. The menu offers true delicacies from the area at a very reasonable price. Each month they organize dinners based on specific local products: for example, May is asparagus, September mushrooms, and November radicchio. Relax and enjoy!
Cavaso del Tomba