Watercolour on paper
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/david-cox-117" aria-label="More by David Cox" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">David Cox</a>
Boy Opening Gate Sheep
Bequeathed by Travers Buxton 1945
adults
agricultural
animals: mammals
architecture
boy
children
farm
fence
field
figure
gate
landscape
people
riding
road
sheep
society
townscapes / man-made features
transport: land
tree
<p>Cox began to break down the dense washes of his earlier style towards a new fragmentation, that was unlike the fine hatching and stippling of watercolour stalwarts like Hunt. Instead he used a looser, highly flexible method of painting in nervous flicks of the brush. This reinterpretation of the techniques of JR Cozens was to become Cox’s unmistakable style. He abandoned the sombre colour of the earlier manner and adopted a fresh, naturalistic palette that set a standard of informal realism matched by none of his contemporaries except Constable. Artists such as Cox explored the physical qualities of air and sky with unprecedented insight.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
paper unique watercolour
26 May 2003 – 8 December 2003
2003-12-08
26 May 2003
2003-05-26
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2003-05-26
British Watercolours: Turner and his Contemporaries around 1840
Collection based display
Boy Opening Gate for Sheep
support: 267 × 362 mm
Bequeathed by Travers Buxton 1945
<div class="pbodytext">
<span class="text15">Cox began to break down the dense </span><span class="text11">washes of his earlier style towards a  new </span><span class="text0">fragmentation, that was unlike the</span><span class="text13">
</span><span class="text14">fine hatching and</span><span class="text13"> stippling of      <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/w/watercolour" title="Glossary definition for 'Watercolour'"><span>watercolour</span></a></span><span class="text0"> </span><span class="text11">stalwarts      like Hunt. Instead he used a </span><span class="text13">looser, highly      flexible method of <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a></span><span class="text0">
</span><span class="text11">in nervous flicks of the brush. </span><span class="text15">This </span><span class="text12">reinterpretation of the techniques  </span><span class="text15">of JR Cozens was to become Cox’s </span><span class="text16">unmistakable style. He abandoned the</span><span class="text11">
    sombre colour of the earlier manner  and adopted a fresh, naturalistic      palette that set a standard of informal <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/r/realism" title="Glossary definition for 'Realism'"><span>realism</span></a> matched by none of his      contemporaries </span><span class="text12">except Constable. Artists such      as Cox </span><span class="text11">explored the physical qualities of air      and </span><span class="text0">sky with unprecedented insight. </span>
</div>

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2004-09-10T00:00:00
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adults agricultural animals: mammals architecture boy children farm fence field figure gate landscape people riding road sheep society townscapes / man-made features transport: land tree