Artwork
San Marco from the Biennale
San Marco from the Biennale is a watercolor work on paper by the Contemporary Realist artist Carole Robb. It dates from 2004 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Carole Robb painted San Marco from the Biennale in 2004 using watercolour.
Carole Robb painted San Marco from the Biennale in 2004 using watercolour. It’s part of a series she made while traveling through Italy. The work shows her take on a famous spot in Venice.
Robb studied at the British School in Rome in the 1970s. She chose real scenes over abstract art, like old masters did. This piece blends her style with traditions from centuries ago.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
San Marco from the Biennale, a 2004 watercolour by Carole Robb, captures a distinctive Venice vista from an unconventional vantage point. Part of a travel-inspired series through Italy, this work blends contemporary expression with figurative traditions.
Subject & Meaning
The piece depicts San Marco, Venice, from across turbulent water, viewed from the Giardini (site of the Venice Biennale). Key landmarks like the Bell Tower and Doge’s Palace are subtly suggested through geometric forms and brushstrokes, rather than direct representation.
Technique & Style
Robb employs abstracted blocks of grey and black, alongside expressive strokes, to evoke the scene. This mixed-media approach (though primarily watercolour) reflects her figurative style, informed by old master techniques, yet interpreted through a modern, suggestive lens.
History & Provenance
Created during Robb’s 2003-2004 Italian journey, this work is one of fourteen documenting her travels from Rome to Tivoli and the Veneto. It is now part of a collection that updates the traditional Grand Tour theme, echoing the V&A’s historical watercolours of Italy.
Context
Robb’s artistic background includes study at the British School in Rome in the 1970s, where she, like peers Stephen Farthing and Christopher Le Brun, opted for figurative art over abstraction, drawing inspiration from historical European painting techniques.
Artist & collection
Artist
Carole Robb painted delicate watercolours of Italian cityscapes and canals in the early 2000s.
