The Georgian London of Bloomsbury and Soho would be the definition of urban elegance for the age. It drew admirers from around the world. Even the image of the Thames would be civilised in the eyes of Venice's greatest painter. Canaletto's picture of London is one of a beautiful city on the water, refined and aesthetically perfect. But Canaletto's London is pure artifice. He moved elements of the city around to suit his compositions. These are pictures of an idealised London. They are the dream pictures of their age, commissioned by Londoners who yearned for their city to be the new Venice.


乔治亚时期的布鲁姆斯伯里以及索霍区，绝对堪称当时城市优雅风景的典范，那里吸引了世界各地的仰慕者。 'London has many fine open spaces called squares. 伦敦有很多美丽的开放广场 'The centres of these squares are shut in by railings. 各广场中心都有电车连接 'Those of Soho, of Leicester Fields of the Red Lion 索霍广场 莱斯特广场 红狮广场 'and the Golden Square are in this style.' 以及黄金广场都是这样的风格 在威尼斯最伟大的画家看来，就连泰晤士河的景色也成了文明的象征。卡纳莱托笔下的伦敦是一座美丽的水城，高雅而完美。但是卡纳莱托笔下的伦敦是虚构的，他去掉了一些元素以符合他的创作要求，这些是理想化的伦敦，是那个年代的伦敦人梦寐以求的美景，希望他们的伦敦成为一座伦敦人的新威尼斯。