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The older sister of Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell was one of the key members of the Bloomsbury Group, a collective of artistic individuals who lived and worked together, embracing an unrestricted and bohemian lifestyle. In 1912, Bell’s work was included in the Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition, organised by critic Roger Fry, which was a hallmark event for the development of modern art in Britain. A year later, along with Fry and fellow painter Duncan Grant, Bell founded the Omega Workshops, a cooperative for the decorative arts which emphasised bold colours and simple designs for textiles, pottery, clothing and furniture. Bell was particularly gifted in textile design and soon became known for her interior designs.

At the height of war and with the introduction of conscription in March 1916, Bell moved to Charleston House near Lewes, East Sussex with her partner Duncan Grant and his lover, David Garnett. Charleston became a hub of artistic and literary creativity for the Bloomsbury circle. Bell and Grant created elaborate interiors at Charleston. They painted frescoes on the walls and doors, hung their own paintings and drawings throughout the house, and brought Omega textiles and pottery into their home. Visiting the house today makes it clear what a place of colour and creativity it was whilst Bell was living there.

In 1935, Bell travelled to Rome. Archival letters between Grant and Bell in the collection of the Tate suggest that she stayed at 33 via Margutta, a well-established artists’ quarter very near the Villa Medici, the view from which Bell has painted here.[1] In the centre of the composition we see the Trinita dei Monti, a late Renaissance Roman Catholic titular church. Bell’s distinct handling of colour draws prominent attention to the church, without allowing it to dominate the composition. In front of the church stands the Obelisco Sallustiano, one of many Roman obelisks which populated the city, as copies from the earlier Egyptian style. Her bold daubs of paint are reminiscent of the post-impressionist style which had influenced, in particular, the early years of the Bloomsbury group so strongly. However, her progressively softening application of colour subtly separates her from this trope as she distinguishes her own unique style.

[1] Letter from D. [Duncan Grant] to Vanessa Bell [1 May 1935] [Online]. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/archive/items/tga-8010-5-1668/letter-from-d-duncan-grant-to-vanessa-bell [accessed on 22.01.2020]