Windmill, Lincolnshire
1800
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1800
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
You see a lone windmill on a low hill, its sails sharp against a pale sky. The paper is almost bare—just a few washes of grey and green. Cotman left most of the sheet white. That emptiness makes the windmill feel quiet, like the moment before dawn. He used thin watercolour so the light seems to come from behind the paper. Look up the technique called sfumato next.
