Coast of Vietri from Salerno

In 1782, Cozens traveled to Italy, where he made a series of views, about a hundred of which survive. This watercolor is based on a drawing he made on the spot. The pencil sketch includes a note written by the artist to remind himself of the effect of sunlight appearing through the mist over the mountains that he witnessed, and that he would later replicate in this finished watercolor. Here, he partially veils the mountains rising in the background with incoming clouds, possibly suggesting an approaching storm. The majesty of nature contrasts with human labor, as three men tend a terrace of grapevines in the foreground (2022).