Coast Scene at Cullercoats near Whitley Bay 

John Linnell painted this coastal scene near Whitley Bay using oil on canvas. Oil paint, with its capacity to capture light and texture, allowed Linnell to depict the rugged coastline, capturing the weight and feel of the rocks. The brushwork in the piece is really something. Notice the sky; he's used broad strokes to evoke the movement of the clouds, and then, in contrast, the cliffs are built up with thick layers of paint. The social context here is subtle, but consider this: landscape painting was becoming increasingly popular at this time. There's a growing middle class, and with industrialization, there’s a developing taste for scenes of the natural world, idealized and readily consumable. Yet Linnell's rough, textured approach resists any easy, pretty reading. In the end, Linnell’s choice of materials and process underscores the importance of considering the labor and context behind even the most seemingly straightforward landscape paintings.