A Matter of Attitude Bernardo Bellotto’s Altersstil

Abstract

Is it possible to apply the concept of Altersstil to Bernardo Bellotto’s career as a painter? Significant changes can be described in his work on the basis of three criteria: the expansion of the urban space, the role of the staffage figures and self-portrait. A comparison with paintings from the Dresden phase will be used to characterise Bellotto’s Altersstil in the Warsaw vedute. As a case study, Bellotto’s work is suitable for adding a facet to the concept of Altersstil, which on the one hand takes into account the personal experience of his own career, and on the other hand, includes the requirements of changing patrons in the interpretation of the Alterswerk.