{"product_id":"david-cox-ows-haymaking-original-1850-watercolour-painting-ke-235","title":"David Cox OWS, Haymaking – 1850 watercolour painting","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn original 1850 watercolour painting – David Cox OWS, Haymaking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis bravura, atmospheric watercolour painting by David Cox OWS (1783–1859) is a wonderful example of the artist's mature work, dated 1850. After his retirement from London to the village of Harborne near Birmingham in 1841, Cox gave up teaching and determined to focus on his art in more peaceful rural surroundings. This watercolour displays the bold freedom of technique that developed during this final period of his career and on which Cox's reputation as one of the greatest landscape painters of the first half of the 19th century rests.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDavid Cox specialised in capturing the effects of weather and light in the English and Welsh countryside. Characteristically in his late work he chose to depict wide open landscapes with broad horizons, allowing for big skies and an affecting feeling of freedom and space, often with blustery winds. In the present painting the sky is heavily clouded and the vigorous, slanting grasses in the foreground imply a certain exposed ruggedness. The landscape, with hills or mountains in the distance, is possibly inspired by Cox's tours of Wales, which he made regularly throughout his life. For known examples of Welsh haymaking subjects see Haymaking, Welsh Mountains, 1848 (V\u0026amp;A P.11-1968), Haymaking near Conway, 1852–3 (Manchester Art Gallery 1948.49) and Haymaking on Snowdon, 1847 (Towneley Hall Art Gallery \u0026amp; Museum).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCox's concern was not topography, however, and the present work fits more generally with other haymaking subjects in the artist's oeuvre. He painted numerous compositions between 1843 and 1853 with the title 'Going to the Hayfield'. An early work, c.1808 (Yale Centre for British Art), which shares the motif of the central haywain on the horizon with the present painting, shows the artist's long-standing connection with the subject. This was no doubt influenced by the work of his English contemporary Peter De Wint (1784–1849) who specialised in pre-industrial harvesting scenes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn watercolour heightened with bodycolour on rough textured, flecked brown paper.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Somerset \u0026 Wood","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55850820075849,"sku":"KE-235","price":2566.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0930\/4306\/5161\/files\/KE-235.jpg?v=1793882359","url":"https:\/\/somersetandwood.com\/en-eu\/products\/david-cox-ows-haymaking-original-1850-watercolour-painting-ke-235","provider":"Somerset \u0026 Wood Fine Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}