Stepping Stones, Bettws-y-Coed 1859

David Cox made this watercolor painting, Stepping Stones, Bettws-y-Coed, during the first half of the 19th century. Cox’s loose, wet brushwork is central to this atmospheric vista. It captures the very sensation of being in this river landscape. He was part of a generation of landscape painters fascinated by the natural world, in all its moods. There is a feeling of immediacy; you can sense the moisture in the air. But that's not all that's going on. It’s interesting to consider how the painting itself was also produced by the very conditions it represents. Cox set up his easel in all weathers, and embraced the accidental effects that occurred. Splashes and drips of paint became part of the image. So, this isn't just a representation of nature. It's a physical record of a process, evidence of a body at work, of an artistic labor. Cox was interested in the qualities of his materials. For him, these were not just a means to an end, but carried meaning in themselves.