Crossing Lancaster Sands c. mid 1830s

Here we see David Cox’s watercolour work. The hazy washes of colour create a sense of atmosphere, evoking the dampness of the sands at low tide. Cox uses a limited palette, predominantly earth tones and muted blues, to convey the vast open space of the Lancaster Sands. The composition is divided horizontally, emphasizing the expansive sky above and the reflective sands below. The figures crossing the sands are rendered with loose, fluid brushstrokes. The structure invites a semiotic interpretation; the sky, traditionally a symbol of the heavens, merges with the sands, suggesting a blurring of boundaries between the tangible and the ethereal. The travellers on horseback could be viewed as signs of human activity set against the immensity of nature, their small scale emphasizing a feeling of transience. Ultimately, it remains a representation of a specific locale and a wider meditation on space, perception, and human interaction within the landscape.