The Fountain by Hubert Robert at The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas

In the fountain, Robert invites the viewer onto the terrace of a verdant garden, where visitors refresh themselves in the fountain's cool mists and explore the overgrown grotto, where the natural elements overwhelm human design. A papal coat of arms, set on the corner of the retaining wall in the right foreground, alludes to bygone glories. The site has not been identified and is likely the artist's invention. Robert developed a rapid alla prima technique in which detail was sacrificed for an overall effect. During the final decades of the Ancien Régime, the indefatigable Robert was widely recognized not only as one of France's preeminent landscape and view painters but also as an accomplished and highly resourceful garden designer. His clientele included royalty, the aristocracy, and the wealthiest segments of the middle class, as well as foreign dignitaries. sometimes called Robert de Rouen because of his many romantic representations of Roman ruins set in idealized surroundings. Robert developed a strong fascination with architecture and ruins, and he was strongly influenced by Giovanni Battista Piranesi.