Painting: The Vagabond Vedutista

Warsaw emerged from World War II with 85% of its buildings, including virtually all of its historic landmarks, in ruins. After clearing away the rub ble, architects, town planners and structural engineers decided that rather than build anew, they would try to restore the city's historic sections to their original appearance. The job has taken a long time. But the rebuilders have been cheered by the knowledge that their most valuable assistant is an artist who waited even longer for recognition. He is Bernardo Bellotto, a Venetian vedutista, or landscape painter, whose views of 18th century Warsaw are the most...

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