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.

The subject of this gouache drawing is the effects of the dramatic sky which looms over the ‘Bacino di San Marco’, or St Mark’s Basin. The basin is the stretch of water in front of St Mark’s Square and is bordered by the Lido, the Giudecca and the Grand Canal. The artist has worked up her composition in multiple layers of vibrant colours starting with the oranges and yellows to represesnt what is probably a sunset. Overlaying this is a monochromatic indigo, suggesting a stormy sky. To the left and right are less ominous shades of lilac and blue. The orange reflection of the sunset in the water is largely obscured by long horizontal marks which suggest an abstract seascape of waves. Given the location of this painting, the vertical mark in indigo on the right horizon may be the Bell Tower of St Marks. The Basilica-like shape to the right of that could be the church of Santa Maria della Salute.