Llanfair Church, North Wales for A Treatise on Landscape Painting and Effect in Water Colours c. 1813

Editor: So, here we have David Cox's "Llanfair Church, North Wales," a pencil drawing from around 1813. It’s quite a detailed little landscape! There’s a stillness to it, like the building's been there forever, quietly watching the world go by. What really strikes you when you look at it? Curator: That's beautifully put. Yes, that sense of timelessness…for me, it’s the humble material—pencil on paper—that contributes to that feeling. Cox wasn't aiming for grand theatrics here. This drawing feels like a quiet meditation, a kind of visual poem. Notice how he uses delicate strokes, building up texture to describe the weathered stone of the church. There’s a subtle Romanticism at play too. It captures this sense of the sublime through this quiet observation. It feels less staged and more... real, perhaps? What do you think about the setting? Editor: The way the church is almost sinking into the landscape feels quite Romantic, as you say. How do you think this relates to his wider body of work? Curator: Well, Cox was fascinated by light and atmosphere, and although this is a more controlled drawing than his later watercolour works, you can still see how he is looking closely at how light falls across the surfaces, creating highlights and shadows. For someone mostly recognized as a master of color, this pencil work speaks volumes. And makes you wonder, what else may lurk in the sketches of artists? Editor: Definitely! It's like seeing the foundation on which his later works were built, which is quite insightful. Curator: Precisely. Art is never born out of thin air. It's about understanding art history but moreover how an artist breathes in their surrounding to find an expression. Editor: Thank you! That perspective helps me to think about it in a new way.