Art historian Cleo Nisse has published a new book, *Venetian Canvas and the Transformation of Painting*, examining how 16th-century Venetian painters such as Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto pioneered the use of canvas as a painting support. Nisse reveals that canvas was not a uniform material—artists experimented with different weaves, including tabby and herringbone patterns, and even repurposed sailcloth and tablecloth-quality fabrics to achieve specific visual effects. The book argues that canvas was already familiar in the late Middle Ages for banners and alternatives to tapestry, and that Vittore Carpaccio was the first master of the medium, varying canvas types for expressive purposes in his *Legend of St Ursula* series.
This research matters because it reframes a pivotal moment in art history—the shift from panel and fresco to canvas—as a material-driven innovation rather than merely a stylistic one. By focusing on the physical properties of canvas, Nisse offers a new lens for understanding the distinctive luminosity, texture, and even the unfinished quality of Titian’s late *Pietà*. The book challenges conventional narratives about Renaissance painting and highlights how practical considerations like climate, cost, and transportability shaped artistic practice in Venice, with lasting consequences for the history of Western art.