Student Artwork Guide
Copyright This work is in the public domain. David Cox died in 1859; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1929.
In context
Midday Rest — David Cox
Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 76 at death.
Shaded: the lifetime of David Cox (1783–1859) every dated painting, decade by decade
First works: up to 1829 Main working years: 1829–1849 Late works: from 1849
Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them
This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?
Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.
More works to set beside this one: originaluniqueart.com/en/art/similar/david-cox-midday-rest-8LHR2M-en/
Measured from the image
Main colour
Gray #8f8e86
Catalogued palette
These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour
The ten leading countries
Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.
Together these works take 27.1% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 492 works by this artist, of which 130 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 130 of them, with 0.6% of that attention. The same counts, month by month
Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.
Artist and museum
Born in Birmingham, United Kingdom
Born: April 29, 1783, in Deritend, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
David Cox’s father was a blacksmith and whitesmith supplying components to the Birmingham gun trade. His mother, from a farming background, possessed a superior education and strong character.
He initially enrolled at the academy of Joseph Barber in Great Charles Street, where he met fellow students Charles Barber and William Radclyffe.
At age 15, Cox became apprenticed to Albert Fielder, a Birmingham painter specializing in portrait miniatures and decorative paintings for objects like snuffboxes. This early training provided him with foundational skills.
In 1804, Cox moved to London and married his landlord’s daughter, Mary Ragg.
A pivotal trip to Wales in 1805 with Charles Barber marked the beginning of numerous sketching tours throughout his lifetime. These travels profoundly influenced his artistic style.
He regularly exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1805, initially earning a living as a drawing master. Colonel Hon. H. Windsor became one of his first pupils in 1808.
Cox’s early work focused on detailed watercolor landscapes, often depicting rural scenes and architectural subjects.
Cox's style evolved over time. He moved from precise topographical depictions to a more expressive and atmospheric approach.
Influences: While specific influences are debated, his work demonstrates an affinity for the Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century and a keen observation of nature reminiscent of Constable.
He became known for his loose brushwork, vibrant colors, and ability to capture the effects of light and weather. His later oil paintings were particularly innovative.
Cox painted over 300 works in oil towards the end of his career, now recognized as “one of the greatest, but least recognised, achievements of any British painter.”
He is considered one of the greatest English landscape painters and a major figure of the Golden Age of English Watercolour.
His work significantly influenced subsequent generations of landscape artists.
Notable Works: The Wind on the Heath, Cottage in Herefordshire, Junction of the Severn and the Wye with Chepstow in the distance, and Moonlight Landscape are among his most celebrated paintings.
David Cox is recognized as an early precursor to Impressionism. His emphasis on capturing fleeting atmospheric effects and his loose brushwork anticipated many of the techniques later adopted by the Impressionists.
He played a crucial role in establishing British landscape painting as a distinct genre, moving away from purely topographical representations towards more expressive and emotional interpretations of nature.
His work continues to be admired for its beauty, sensitivity, and enduring appeal.
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Look closely
Midday Rest — David Cox
Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.
Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.
"Midday Rest" connects the Romanticism movement with United Kingdom through its creator's birthplace.
The luminance recorded for "Midday Rest" by David Cox is gentle luminance.
The X-Ray page of "Midday Rest" by David Cox is an interactive viewer that lets you slide through eleven optical layers of the artwork's image, including an X-ray style view.