Born in Birmingham, England, in 1783, David Cox was destined to become a major figure in the linked worlds of landscape painting and watercolor painting in the first half of the nineteenth
century. Remarkably, no significant study of the artist has been undertaken in more than a century. This beautifully illustrated volume focuses much-needed attention on Cox, filling in the
details of his biography and illuminating his contributions to British landscape painting. Cox's widely-known
Sun, Wind, and Rain, painted in 1845, is emblematic of his concern
with the representation of light and atmosphere and weather. He was unparalleled in his ability to capture the effects of wind and weather. Scott Wilcox’s chapter in this book investigates
Cox’s artistic identity and his legacy. Other chapters address such topics as Birmingham’s cultural milieu; myths about Cox’s life; the papers he chose; his painting in oils; and the fakes,
forgeries, and misattributions that have challenged attempts to identify his oeuvre with certainty.
