The Medici Gardens, Rome

This serene artwork depicts a shaded path beside a statue, in the Medici Gardens in Rome. The blocks of strong colour indicate a Post-Impressionist influence - perhaps a student at the British School in Rome who was practising with new and different artistic movements. The saturation of the colour indicates that the scene is cast in strong sunlight.

The British School at Rome
The British School at Rome (BSR) was established in 1901 with a mission to ‘promote knowledge of and deep engagement with all aspects of the art, history and culture of Italy by scholars and fine artists from Britain and the Commonwealth and to foster international and interdisciplinary exchange’. Set up following the International Exhibition of Art in Rome in 1911 on the site of the British Pavilion the BSR is immediately adjacent to the Villa Borghese gardens, the opposite side of which is the Villa Medici.

The BSR awards residential scholarships and fellowships to artists and scholars from the Commonwealth for periods of three to twelve months with the awardees living in the BSR building with access to its specialist reference library. Those that receive fine arts awards are provided with studio and workshop facilities.

The BSR is one of the British Academy’s sponsored institutes from which it receives financial support, along with sponsors, private donors and membership.