Rocks in a fountain, Rome
Drawing
2003 (drawn)
2003 (drawn)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Carole Robb is one of a number of talented British artists who studied at the British School in Rome during the 1970s. Like Stephen Farthing (b.1950) and Christopher Le Brun (b.1951), she rejected abstraction in favour of a figurative style informed by old master painting. This drawing is part of a group of fourteen works (E.3719 to 3732-2004) that illustrate Robb's journey through Rome to Tivoli, and the Veneto, that she undertook in 2003/4. As such, it constitutes a contemporary uprise to the V&A's numerous Grand Tour watercolours of Italy, dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries.
This watercolour of a fountain probably represents one designed by the sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598 – 1680). The jutting rocks are similar to those in his ‘Fountain of the Four Rivers’ in Piazza Navona and other fountains in Baroque Rome. In this work Robb also focuses on the naturalistic elements of an artificial environment. The rocks in this fountain are built up with thick bold graphite marks. Cross hatching and darker areas suggest Bernini’s creation of artificial depth through sculpted stone. The larger white areas in the top left corner suggest the flanks of a sculpture’s marble base.
This watercolour of a fountain probably represents one designed by the sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598 – 1680). The jutting rocks are similar to those in his ‘Fountain of the Four Rivers’ in Piazza Navona and other fountains in Baroque Rome. In this work Robb also focuses on the naturalistic elements of an artificial environment. The rocks in this fountain are built up with thick bold graphite marks. Cross hatching and darker areas suggest Bernini’s creation of artificial depth through sculpted stone. The larger white areas in the top left corner suggest the flanks of a sculpture’s marble base.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Rocks in a fountain, Rome (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Drawing in charcoal |
Brief description | Drawing, Rocks in a fountain, Rome, by Carole Robb, charcoal, 2003. |
Physical description | Drawing in black charcoal of rocks around a little pond |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions | 'Robb 2003' (signed by the artist) |
Credit line | Given by Jane Mankiewicz |
Subject depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Summary | Carole Robb is one of a number of talented British artists who studied at the British School in Rome during the 1970s. Like Stephen Farthing (b.1950) and Christopher Le Brun (b.1951), she rejected abstraction in favour of a figurative style informed by old master painting. This drawing is part of a group of fourteen works (E.3719 to 3732-2004) that illustrate Robb's journey through Rome to Tivoli, and the Veneto, that she undertook in 2003/4. As such, it constitutes a contemporary uprise to the V&A's numerous Grand Tour watercolours of Italy, dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries. This watercolour of a fountain probably represents one designed by the sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598 – 1680). The jutting rocks are similar to those in his ‘Fountain of the Four Rivers’ in Piazza Navona and other fountains in Baroque Rome. In this work Robb also focuses on the naturalistic elements of an artificial environment. The rocks in this fountain are built up with thick bold graphite marks. Cross hatching and darker areas suggest Bernini’s creation of artificial depth through sculpted stone. The larger white areas in the top left corner suggest the flanks of a sculpture’s marble base. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.3720-2004 |
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Record created | February 14, 2007 |
Record URL |
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