Artwork
Rocks in a fountain, Rome
Rocks in a fountain, Rome is a drawing by Carole Robb. It dates from 2003 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This is a drawing of rocks in a fountain in Rome. The artist looked closely at the shapes and textures of the stone and water.
Robb studied at the British School in Rome in the 1970s. She chose a realistic style instead of abstract art. This drawing is one of fourteen works she made during a trip through Rome and Tivoli in 2003.
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Overview
Carole Robb’s drawing depicts a cluster of rocks forming part of a Roman fountain. Rendered in graphite on paper, the composition isolates the stone’s texture and the implied water flow, emphasizing the tactile qualities of the sculptural setting. The work belongs to a series of fourteen pieces created during her 2003‑04 journey through Rome, Tivoli and the Veneto.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing appears to reference a fountain designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, whose Baroque water features often combined natural rock forms with sculptural elements. By focusing on the rugged stones and their relationship to the surrounding architecture, Robb highlights the dialogue between artificial construction and the natural world, inviting viewers to consider the crafted illusion of depth and solidity.
Technique & Style
Executed with bold graphite strokes, the piece builds the rock surfaces through layered cross‑hatching and dense shading. Thick marks convey mass, while lighter, expansive areas suggest reflective marble bases. Robb’s approach aligns with a figurative tradition that draws on the visual language of Old Master painting, favoring observation over abstraction.
History & Provenance
Robb, a British artist who studied at the British School in Rome in the 1970s, produced this work as part of her 2003‑04 Italian itinerary. The drawing is catalogued in the Victoria and Albert Museum as item E.3719‑3732‑2004, forming a contemporary counterpart to the museum’s historic Grand Tour watercolours of Italy from the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Context
During the early 2000s, Robb and peers such as Stephen Farthing and Christopher Le Brun turned away from abstraction, embracing a figurative mode informed by classical painting techniques. This series reflects that shift, situating modern observation within the lineage of artists who documented Italian architecture and landscape for educational and cultural exchange.
Artist & collection
Artist
Carole Robb painted delicate watercolours of Italian cityscapes and canals in the early 2000s.
