Artwork
Landscape with cattle
Landscape with cattle is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Thomas Sidney Cooper. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the National Library of Wales.
About this work
Overview
Thomas Sidney Cooper’s 1896 oil painting presents a tranquil rural scene in which a herd of cattle grazes on a verdant meadow. The composition is anchored by a bright sky overhead, a line of trees on the right, and distant structures faintly visible to the left, establishing a balanced, open landscape.
Subject & Meaning
The work focuses on the everyday activity of livestock within a pastoral setting, reflecting Cooper’s long‑standing interest in agricultural life. By placing the animals amid a calm, unspoiled environment, the painting conveys a sense of harmony between humanity’s domesticated creatures and the natural world.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, the painting employs a smooth, restrained brushwork that renders the foliage and sky with subtle gradations of colour. Cooper’s palette emphasizes fresh greens and clear blues, while delicate modelling gives the cattle a tactile presence, contributing to an overall impression of quiet depth.
History & Provenance
Created in the final decade of Cooper’s career, the canvas entered the collection of the National Library of Wales, where it remains accessible to the public. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s commitment to preserving examples of 19th‑century British landscape painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Thomas Sidney Cooper was an English landscape painter from Canterbury, noted for his images of cattle and farm animals.
