Friday, October 29, 2010
"The Commendatore Scene" From Mozart's "Don Giovanni" by
On this day in 1787, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni was first performed, at the Estates Theatre in Prague.
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Happy Birthday Winona Ryder
There was a time, it seems, when she was in every movie I liked; although it was only a span of two years, she appeared in Beetlejuice (1988), Great Balls of Fire! and Heathers (1989), Mermaids, Edward Scissorhands, and Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990)...
Since then, of course, in addition to memorable television appearances (The Simpsons in 1994, Strangers With Candy in 2000, and Friends in 2001) Ryder continued with a string of great movie roles, including The Age of Innocence (1993), Reality Bites (1994), and Girl, Interrupted (1999).
Then came her little mishegas at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills in December 2001; the ensuing show-trial and tabloid maelstrom cost her the better part of her reputation (although, as the photo at right clearly shows, Your Honour, she was desperately in need of coverage). Shoplifting (as I well know) is an affliction which is easily overcome, unlike, say, being a Republican, so despite the scandal she's continued to work, although she's been keeping a much lower profile.
Will Winona Ryder be able to return to the Hollywood pantheon to resume her rightful place there, or will she join the ranks of fallen stars who litter our reality television and infomercial landscape? Only time will tell. So far, though, celebrity astronomers such as myself see the scandal more as a wobble in her orbit and, although it was accompanied by a supernova of publicity, the gravity of her popular appeal should be enough to keep her (and her career) from becoming a black hole.
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Since then, of course, in addition to memorable television appearances (The Simpsons in 1994, Strangers With Candy in 2000, and Friends in 2001) Ryder continued with a string of great movie roles, including The Age of Innocence (1993), Reality Bites (1994), and Girl, Interrupted (1999).Then came her little mishegas at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills in December 2001; the ensuing show-trial and tabloid maelstrom cost her the better part of her reputation (although, as the photo at right clearly shows, Your Honour, she was desperately in need of coverage). Shoplifting (as I well know) is an affliction which is easily overcome, unlike, say, being a Republican, so despite the scandal she's continued to work, although she's been keeping a much lower profile.
Will Winona Ryder be able to return to the Hollywood pantheon to resume her rightful place there, or will she join the ranks of fallen stars who litter our reality television and infomercial landscape? Only time will tell. So far, though, celebrity astronomers such as myself see the scandal more as a wobble in her orbit and, although it was accompanied by a supernova of publicity, the gravity of her popular appeal should be enough to keep her (and her career) from becoming a black hole.
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"Tidal Wave" by The Sugarcubes
Like the last video, Tidal Wave original appeared on The Sugarcubes' 1989 album Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!; also like the last video, the song relies more on the tortured vocal stylings of birthday boy Einar Örn Benediktsson rather than on the similarly idiosyncratic but considerably less dissonant vocals of Björk.
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Remembering... Gustav V
The life of King Gustav V is one which is not well-known in North America, yet was as exciting and tumultuous as any in the early part of the 20th Century; he presided over Sweden's transition from executive to constitutional monarchy, and managed to remain King (as well as keeping Sweden neutral) as in their turn first the Kaiserreich and then the Nazis engulfed the rest of Europe...
Born in June 1858, he ascended to the throne in 1907, following the death of his father Oscar II, just two years after the Treaty of Separation liberated the country from Norwegian rule. Gustav V was the last King to interfere directly in affairs of state, in 1914, over defense spending; he was also the last King to be Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces. Deeply conservative, he was opposed to various democratizing moves which were afoot in the world at the time, Sweden included.
Despite his conservatism (today we might say because of it) he was involved in one doozy of a scandal during his reign, known as the Haijby affair; often accused of collaborationist tendencies (although, to a certain extent, some of these may be blamed on his German wife Victoria), Gustav V occupies an uncomfortable place in Swedish history.
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Born in June 1858, he ascended to the throne in 1907, following the death of his father Oscar II, just two years after the Treaty of Separation liberated the country from Norwegian rule. Gustav V was the last King to interfere directly in affairs of state, in 1914, over defense spending; he was also the last King to be Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces. Deeply conservative, he was opposed to various democratizing moves which were afoot in the world at the time, Sweden included.Despite his conservatism (today we might say because of it) he was involved in one doozy of a scandal during his reign, known as the Haijby affair; often accused of collaborationist tendencies (although, to a certain extent, some of these may be blamed on his German wife Victoria), Gustav V occupies an uncomfortable place in Swedish history.
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Happy Birthday Dan Castellanata
As the voice of Homer Simpson, Dan Castellanata enjoys the best of both worlds: he's both famous and well-paid, but his natural pinky skin tone renders him unrecognizable as a Simpson. Although, frankly, after two decades on the air and dozens of talk show appearances, I think a few people would recognize him as himself.
On The Simpsons, Castellaneta provides the voices for Homer Simpson, Abraham 'Grampa' Simpson, Barney Gumble, Krusty the Clown, Groundskeeper Willie, Mayor Joe Quimby, Hans Moleman, Sideshow Mel, Itchy, Kodos, Arnie Pie, Scott Christian and other characters - which takes real genius, let me tell you!
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"Eat The Menu" by The Sugarcubes
Eat The Menu better shows the contribution made to The Sugarcubes by Einar Örn Benediktsson; indeed, many in the music punditocracy credit his distinctive vocals for hurting sales of the album, which was a disappointment after the band's strong debut, Life's Too Good.
The song originally appeared on the band's 1989 album Here Today, Tomorrow, Next Week!, the title of which was inspired by Mr. Toad, from by Kenneth Grahame's children's classic The Wind in the Willows.
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Gratuitous Brunette: Rufus Sewell
I will confess, I don't know anything about Rufus Sewell except that he's hot, that he was discovered by Dame Judi Dench, and he often plays broody men in British movies. And the thing about Dame Judi I learned last...
Instead of concocting a lot of BS to make myself look smarter than I am - which, I must confess, I do enjoy, even though it gets tiring - I'll just stare at his picture until you leave your comments about him; which will be no burden to me as I could look at this picture for days.
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Happy Birthday Madam President
Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed in my job I consider what Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's job entails - namely, bringing democracy to Africa - and suddenly I feel a whole lot better.
First elected to the Presidency of Liberia in November 2005, she quickly earned the nickname 'Iron Lady', which is just as well; given the obstacles she's facing (not to mention the grenades, bullets, and landmines she'll have to face in order to face those obstacles) iron is preferable to even Kevlar.
35 years in the government of Liberia (save for 5 years when, after criticizing the government of former President Samuel Doe, she went into exile in Kenya) will have given her some insight into how that government works (or doesn't work) and her role as the chair of Liberia's Commission on Good Governance immediately prior to her election as President shouldn't hurt either.
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First elected to the Presidency of Liberia in November 2005, she quickly earned the nickname 'Iron Lady', which is just as well; given the obstacles she's facing (not to mention the grenades, bullets, and landmines she'll have to face in order to face those obstacles) iron is preferable to even Kevlar.35 years in the government of Liberia (save for 5 years when, after criticizing the government of former President Samuel Doe, she went into exile in Kenya) will have given her some insight into how that government works (or doesn't work) and her role as the chair of Liberia's Commission on Good Governance immediately prior to her election as President shouldn't hurt either.
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"Coldsweat" by The Sugarcubes
Birthday wishes go out today to Einar Örn Benediktsson, co-vocalist and trumpeter for Iceland's pop pioneers The Sugarcubes; the band owes its unique sound as much to the participation of female vocalist Björk as it does to the contrast between their two voices. Then, of course, there's the Iceland Factor*...
Coldsweat first appeared on The Sugarcubes' 1988 album Life's Too Good, but had been released as a single in the previous year, just like the band's breakthrough single Birthday.
*The so-called Iceland Factor - initially isolated and identified by Mr. Gagne when I first posted "Glósóli" by Sigur Rós - is the subject of much research here in the Applied Pop Culture Laboratory at the Pop Culture Institute. In brief, it posits that music from Iceland is usually all trippy and shit, and seeks to understand why...
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POPnews - October 29th
[For years the Kray Twins terrorized the hard men of London's gangland, until such time as they began to feel they were above the law; from there it was a short while til a long fall brought Ronnie and Reggie under the law again.]
437 CE - Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III married Licinia Eudoxia - daughter of his cousin Theodosius II, Eastern Roman Emperor - in Constantinople, thus unifying the two branches of the House of Theodosius.
1268 - Conradin - the last legitimate male heir of the Hohenstaufen dynasty of Kings of Germany and Holy Roman Emperors - was publicly executed along with his companion Frederick I, Margrave of Baden by Sicily's King Charles I, a political rival and ally to the Roman Catholic church. The 16-year-old Conrad and 19-year-old Frederick were executed for having fallen in love...
1618 - Adventurer, writer, courtier, and former favourite of Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James VI & I of Scotland and England.
1787 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni was first performed, at the Estates Theatre in Prague.
1792 - Oregon's Mount Hood was named after the British naval officer Alexander Arthur Hood by Lt. William E. Broughton who spotted the mountain near the mouth of the Willamette River.
1901 - Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of US President William McKinley, was executed by electrocution at Auburn Prison in Upstate New York.
1923 - Under the terms of the Treaty of Lausanne, Turkey became a republic following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, with its capital at Ankara.
1929 - The New York Stock Exchange crashed for the second time in a week on 'Black Tuesday' in what would soon be called the Crash of '29, ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression.
1956 - Israel invaded the Sinai Peninsula and pushed Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal, precipitating the Suez Crisis.
1960 - In Louisville, Kentucky, local fighter Cassius Clay - who later took the name Muhammad Ali - won his first professional fight.
1967 - London criminal Jack 'The Hat' McVitie was murdered by the Kray Twins, leading to their eventual imprisonment and downfall.
1969 - The first-ever computer-to-computer link was established on ARPANET, and the Internet was born.
1989 - After years of delays, the 63rd Street Tunnel opened for service, the first expansion of the New York City subway system since 1967.
1991 - The American Galileo spacecraft made its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, making it the first probe to visit an asteroid.
1992 - The Food and Drug Administration approved Depo Provera for use as a contraceptive in the United States.
1994 - Francisco Martin Duran fired over two dozen shots at the White House; Duran was later convicted of trying to kill US President Bill Clinton.
1998 - The Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off on mission STS-95 with 77-year-old John Glenn aboard, making him the oldest person to go into space; previously, he had been the first American to orbit the Earth in February 1962, and later a Senator (D-Ohio).
1998 - Hurricane Mitch, the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history, made landfall in Honduras.
2005 - Three bombs directed at the transit system of Delhi killed more than 60 and injured nearly 200.
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Thursday, October 28, 2010
"Diamonds on the Inside" by Ben Harper
Born on this day in 1969, one month to the day before me*, Ben Harper is - dare I say it? - the thinking man's Lenny Kravitz. That's right. I said it.
Altogether more popular in Europe than he is in North America, the Pop Culture Institute would like to do whatever it can to remedy that situation, including playing this soulful song, with its accompanying video, replete with images of multi-racial hotness and earnest lyrics.
From 2003's album of the same name, it's Diamonds on the Inside... As per usual, this performance is from an appearance at the Hollywood Bowl, while the song's superlative music video is being held hostage by the near-sighted schmucks at his record label.
*Subtle, innit?
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Remembering... Ted Hughes
Ted Hughes' professional life took off well enough, hit a major rough patch in the middle, and by the time it glided to a halt on this day in 1998 he was not only held in the greatest official esteem but had nearly seen his personal reputation rehabilitated as well...
Born in August 1930, Hughes spent his formative years in the West Yorkshire village of Mytholmroyd, exploring the nearby moors more or less unimpeded; at the age of six his family moved more than 50 miles away to the industrial town of Mexborough, where his parents ran a newsagent and tobacconist.
While his early life had given Hughes an abiding respect for Nature, in this new setting Hughes' teachers began encouraging his nascent writing ability, and at 16 he published his first works in the school's magazine, The Don and Dearne. A two year hitch (1949-51) with the National Service at a remote listening post in East Yorkshire provided him with ample time in which to read and re-read Shakespeare while serving as a ground wireless mechanic for the RAF. Spying on the Russians seems to have had no effect on him, although his tenure there would give him the grounding in the subject he needed to later make himself a major scholar of the Bard.
While studying at Pembroke College, Cambridge he started a magazine with some friends, entitled the St. Botolph's Review; it was at a launch party for the magazine he met his future wife, Sylvia Plath. Their tempestuous relationship would produce two children - Frieda Rebecca and Nicholas Farrar - not to mention fodder enough for them and their literary heirs to postulate on the Hughes-Plath dynamic in perpetuity, and (thanks largely to Plath's subsequent actions) nearly enough ammunition to ruin Hughes into the bargain.
Hughes handled the fallout from Plath's February 1963 suicide in a way that seemed to encourage his enemies in demonizing him, especially as his late wife's works began to attract the attention of militant second-wave feminists. Whereas he could have leapt to his own defense at the time, it wasn't until Hughes published Birthday Letters (1998) that he began to be seen in a better light. Few if any now refer to Hughes as a murderer with regards to Plath's taking her own life like they might have done in the mid-60s.
Act Three of his extraordinary career saw Ted Hughes serve his Queen and country as Poet Laureate following the death of Sir John Betjeman (Philip Larkin having respectfully declined the post); shortly before his own death Hughes was awarded the Order of Merit, which is in the personal gift of the sovereign. Act Four, coming as it does after his death, has seen Hughes portrayed by Daniel Craig opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the 2003 film Sylvia.
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Happy Birthday Your Serene Highness
You'll be forgiven for having never heard of Liechtenstein's Hereditary Princess, Sophie, who today turns 43; either royalty from Catholic countries are so much better behaved than their Protestant counterparts or they're better at covering it up*. In fact, Liechtenstein's best-kept secret must be Sophie's sister-in-law, Princess Angela.
Nevertheless, Sophie's wedding - to Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein in July 1993 - ought to have been big time media fodder: a beautiful church in the picturesque capital Vaduz, a beaming blonde bride, and a HPLILF** for a groom. Clearly the Princely Family of Liechtenstein either has a very smart or a very stupid press secretary.
In the fullness of time Her Serene Highness will become the first lady in the land of the quaint mittel-European principality currently under the watchful eye of her father-in-law Hans Adam II and his wife Princess Marie Aglaë which she and her husband will, in turn, groom for their son, Prince Joseph Wenzel.
*Either way, no one messes around or up quite like the good ol' House of Windsor, am I right? Where my whiteys at?
**Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein I'd Like to Fuck.
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"You're Just In Love" by Cleo Laine and The Swedish Chef
Today's flimsy excuse for posting a clip from The Muppet Show is the birthday of none other than the very talented singer Dame Cleo Laine...
Laine appeared on the show's Episode 216, in which she sang this charming duet of You're Just in Love with The Swedish Chef as he prepares what must have been the world's worst salad. The last time I saw a salad tossed that badly -- Er, well, let's never mind about that and just enjoy the video, shall we?
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In Memoriam: Jack Soo
Having only seen Jack Soo in the classic 70s sitcom Barney Miller, it came as something of a shock to watch him break out singing in the 1961 film Flower Drum Song! Yet Jack Soo's antics in the 12th Precinct were not merely the last he would record for posterity, they came at the end of a long and fruitful career on Broadway, in Hollywood, and over as many airwaves as nightclub stages.
That most of Jack Soo's career accolades came in the second half of his life is only remarkable when considering how poorly the first half of his life went; born on this day in 1917, the Oakland native found himself at Utah's Topaz War Relocation Center for the duration of America's involvement in World War II. Following his release his first thought was... Entertain. Entertain the very same people who'd enthusiastically oppressed his community for no other reason than their appearance; then again, it's no surprise when considering that while he was incarcerated, he spent a goodly amount of time entertaining his fellow inmates as one of the most popular detainees, and likely responsible for a good measure of their morale through difficult times into the bargain.
He's a better man than me, that Jack Soo.
Following a decade on the nightclub circuit, Soo's big break came when he was cast in the Broadway production of Flower Drum Song; his next big break came when he was cast (through the intercession of his longtime pal, producer Danny Arnold) as Sgt. Nick Yemana in Barney Miller at the start of the second season in 1975. For the next three seasons, until he succumbed to esophageal cancer in January 1979, Jack Soo could be counted on to ladle out drollities and reap the rewards of entertainment in what would become a stereotype-busting role.
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That most of Jack Soo's career accolades came in the second half of his life is only remarkable when considering how poorly the first half of his life went; born on this day in 1917, the Oakland native found himself at Utah's Topaz War Relocation Center for the duration of America's involvement in World War II. Following his release his first thought was... Entertain. Entertain the very same people who'd enthusiastically oppressed his community for no other reason than their appearance; then again, it's no surprise when considering that while he was incarcerated, he spent a goodly amount of time entertaining his fellow inmates as one of the most popular detainees, and likely responsible for a good measure of their morale through difficult times into the bargain.He's a better man than me, that Jack Soo.
Following a decade on the nightclub circuit, Soo's big break came when he was cast in the Broadway production of Flower Drum Song; his next big break came when he was cast (through the intercession of his longtime pal, producer Danny Arnold) as Sgt. Nick Yemana in Barney Miller at the start of the second season in 1975. For the next three seasons, until he succumbed to esophageal cancer in January 1979, Jack Soo could be counted on to ladle out drollities and reap the rewards of entertainment in what would become a stereotype-busting role.
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Happy Birthday Julia Roberts
Hollywood's Pretty Woman is past 40? How can that be? Why, it seems like only yesterday I was watching her in her breakout role as Shelby Eatenton Latcherie in Steel Magnolias... Okay, so it was only yesterday; what I meant was, for the first time.
The pride of Smyrna, Georgia, is one of the most popular and wealthy actors in Hollywood; the 30 films in which she's appeared have grossed over $2 billion at the box office, making her well worth the reported $25 million she commands in salary.
Though she's recently taken a few years off to have a family - twins Hazel and Phinnaeus were born on my birthday* in 2004, and little Henry in June 2007 - her recent Hollywood vehicle, the Tom Hanks film Charlie Wilson's War, nabbed her a Golden Globe nomination, effectively announcing her return to the big screen. It was followed by an indie called Fireflies in the Garden, co-starring super-hunk Ryan Reynolds. In 2009 she appeared in Duplicity, opposite former Gratuitous Brunette Clive Owen, and she's currently filming both Valentine's Day and Eat, Pray, Love for release in 2010.
All in all it's good to have her back again; I don't know what it is, but there's something reassuring about her. I know as well as anyone that a public persona isn't worth any more than the publicist who created it, but there's something genuine and honest and lovely about our Mrs. Moder (at least on screen) that makes me hope hers is a long and fruitful life - not to mention career!
*November 28th... Not that I'm dropping any hints or anything.
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The pride of Smyrna, Georgia, is one of the most popular and wealthy actors in Hollywood; the 30 films in which she's appeared have grossed over $2 billion at the box office, making her well worth the reported $25 million she commands in salary.Though she's recently taken a few years off to have a family - twins Hazel and Phinnaeus were born on my birthday* in 2004, and little Henry in June 2007 - her recent Hollywood vehicle, the Tom Hanks film Charlie Wilson's War, nabbed her a Golden Globe nomination, effectively announcing her return to the big screen. It was followed by an indie called Fireflies in the Garden, co-starring super-hunk Ryan Reynolds. In 2009 she appeared in Duplicity, opposite former Gratuitous Brunette Clive Owen, and she's currently filming both Valentine's Day and Eat, Pray, Love for release in 2010.
All in all it's good to have her back again; I don't know what it is, but there's something reassuring about her. I know as well as anyone that a public persona isn't worth any more than the publicist who created it, but there's something genuine and honest and lovely about our Mrs. Moder (at least on screen) that makes me hope hers is a long and fruitful life - not to mention career!
*November 28th... Not that I'm dropping any hints or anything.
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Charo on "The Carol Burnett Show"
Okay, this is a special treat for y'all, but for Mr. Davey especially...
Birthday wishes go out today to Charo who is, it should be pointed out, a brilliant musician, in addition to a unique breed of comedienne.
Here she is guest starring on The Carol Burnett Show with (in order of their appearance) Lyle Waggoner, Tim Conway, and the great Carol Burnett herself, rockin' that Mackie like no one else - with the possible exception of Charo - ever could.
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Edith Head Gave Great Wardrobe
As head of the costume department for Paramount Studios - and later, Universal - Edith Head was nominated for 34 Oscars and won a staggering eight of them, the most ever for a woman, and a record unlikely to ever be beaten. She used to keep them handsomely arrayed in her atelier at the studio; they were meant to let anyone who came into her lair know who the talented one was, an act she herself admitted was a bluff meant to conceal her own insecurity.
Born on this day in 1897, Edith Posener started out as a schoolteacher; within a few years she grew bored of that and, taking a handful of someone else's sketches and passing them off as her own, she was soon hired by Paramount. Whatever breach of ethics was involved in the subterfuge, she obviously backed up her bravado, working steadily from the silent film era of the 1920s until her last film - 1982's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid - which was released posthumously and dedicated to her.
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In Memoriam: Canaletto
So accurate are the landscapes of Canaletto that modern-day archaeologists often use them before digs; he was talented, of course, but that kind of hyper-realism only comes from the use of camera obscura... Whatever other techniques he used, he guarded those secrets well. I've only seen one Canaletto up close - at the National Gallery in Ottawa - and it looked more like a window than an oil painting to me. In fact, it was so beautiful I wished I could step into it...
Born on this day in Venice in 1697, Giovanni Antonio Canal was the son of a painter, and so served his earliest apprenticeship alongside his father and brother; in turn, Canaletto would come to mentor his nephew Bernardo Bellotto as well. His father, Bernardo Canal, specialized in theatrical scenery, which could account for the reason why Canaletto's works are typically vast canvases depicting wide open spaces. Later, the gifted pupil studied in Rome, returning to Venice in 1719.
Canaletto admired the work of Roman vedutista Giovanni Paolo Pannini, and later studied under Luca Carlevaris. Quickly he surpassed his masters, and soon his views of Venice were being snapped up by visiting nobles, especially from England; these canvases, vast as they were, became the postcards of their day. As early as the 1720s, the British consul in Venice was acting as Canaletto's broker, and many of his early works can be found adorning the stately homes of England still.
So popular were his works there that in 1746 Canaletto moved to England, where he created lush portraits of Georgian London as well as other British locales; when he finally returned to Venice in 1755 it was under something of a cloud. Given the quantity of work he produced it was inevitable that some of these later paintings would lack the elan of his earlier masterpieces; while still masterful they had become stiff and predictable, which is the side-effect of working for commissions. At one point he was forced to paint for an assembly of 'gentlemen' to prove that his work was his own, and not that of an imposter; neither the great artist's pride (nor his reputation) ever really recovered.
In 1763 Canaletto was elected to the Venetian Academy, and he continued to paint up until his death in 1768, sometimes from sketches, sometimes from life. Even when he was still alive the asking price for a Canaletto was high, so it seems only right that they should have held their value once he'd set down his brushes for good; in 2005, nearly 250 years after his death in April 1768, one of his paintings fetched £18.6 million at Sotheby's, which is the record price ever paid for a Canaletto, and an amount that would no doubt astound him.
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Born on this day in Venice in 1697, Giovanni Antonio Canal was the son of a painter, and so served his earliest apprenticeship alongside his father and brother; in turn, Canaletto would come to mentor his nephew Bernardo Bellotto as well. His father, Bernardo Canal, specialized in theatrical scenery, which could account for the reason why Canaletto's works are typically vast canvases depicting wide open spaces. Later, the gifted pupil studied in Rome, returning to Venice in 1719.
Canaletto admired the work of Roman vedutista Giovanni Paolo Pannini, and later studied under Luca Carlevaris. Quickly he surpassed his masters, and soon his views of Venice were being snapped up by visiting nobles, especially from England; these canvases, vast as they were, became the postcards of their day. As early as the 1720s, the British consul in Venice was acting as Canaletto's broker, and many of his early works can be found adorning the stately homes of England still.
So popular were his works there that in 1746 Canaletto moved to England, where he created lush portraits of Georgian London as well as other British locales; when he finally returned to Venice in 1755 it was under something of a cloud. Given the quantity of work he produced it was inevitable that some of these later paintings would lack the elan of his earlier masterpieces; while still masterful they had become stiff and predictable, which is the side-effect of working for commissions. At one point he was forced to paint for an assembly of 'gentlemen' to prove that his work was his own, and not that of an imposter; neither the great artist's pride (nor his reputation) ever really recovered.
In 1763 Canaletto was elected to the Venetian Academy, and he continued to paint up until his death in 1768, sometimes from sketches, sometimes from life. Even when he was still alive the asking price for a Canaletto was high, so it seems only right that they should have held their value once he'd set down his brushes for good; in 2005, nearly 250 years after his death in April 1768, one of his paintings fetched £18.6 million at Sotheby's, which is the record price ever paid for a Canaletto, and an amount that would no doubt astound him.
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