This view of London, formerly in the Istituto Bancario Italiano (IBI) Collection, is from a small series of works in ink and watercolour on paper produced during the artist’s trip to the city in 1929. The slightly off-centre focal point of the composition is the female figure sitting on a bench in the foreground and turning to watch the bustling movement of carriages, cars and pedestrians against a background of tall trees and characteristic buildings.

After making an early debut with his brother Tommaso at the Galerie Druet, Paris, in 1909, Cascella reappeared on the international art scene with a show at the Beaux Art Gallery, London, in 1929 and achieved success at the European level the following year with a show at the Galerie Georges Petit in Paris.

During his repeated travels outside Italy in the 1920s and 1930s, the artist used watercolour and simple lines drawn in ink to produce numerous views capturing images of major monuments and the streets in the style of sketches or illustrations. His quick and lively drawing harmonises fully with the subject matter and enhances the visual representation of the emotion aroused by actual experience.