Sun, Wind and Rain - David Cox

An 1845 watercolour by David Cox depicting travellers on horseback during a storm. The work captures the atmospheric effects of wind and rain across a rural British moor.

David Cox was a leading figure of the Birmingham School and a significant contributor to the British watercolour tradition. This 1845 work demonstrates his later style, which moved away from precise topographical detail toward a more expressive approach. The composition depicts a couple on horseback navigating a rural path during a sudden change in weather. A woman sits behind a man on a white horse, holding a small parasol that appears caught in the breeze.

The sky occupies a large portion of the paper, rendered with broad washes of grey and blue to suggest moving clouds. Diagonal strokes indicate falling rain in the distance, while patches of light break through to illuminate the middle ground. To the right, a cluster of tall trees leans under the force of the wind. Cox used a rough-textured paper, often referred to as Scotch paper, which allowed his dry-brush technique to create a sense of movement in the foliage and foreground plants. In the lower foreground, large-leafed plants are defined with quick, dark strokes. These elements provide a sense of scale and ground the viewer in the immediate environment.

The path itself is a mix of brown and ochre tones, suggesting a muddy or sandy track common in the Midlands or Wales. The artist's signature and the date 1845 are visible in the bottom left corner. This period of Cox's life was marked by a move back to Birmingham from London, where he sought a quieter life and more direct contact with nature. His work from these years influenced later generations of painters who sought to capture the fleeting qualities of light. The use of bodycolour is particularly evident in the white of the horse and the highlights on the figures, providing a contrast against the more transparent washes of the sky.