Land's End, Cornwall

Creswick's Land's End, Cornwall, painted in 1842, depicts the dramatic granite cliffs at the westernmost point of mainland England. The Cornish coast attracted many Victorian painters with its wild, rugged scenery and its associations with shipwreck and maritime drama. Creswick's treatment of this famous promontory balances topographic accuracy with the Romantic appreciation of sublime natural power that characterized the best Victorian landscape painting.

Creswick's oil-on-canvas technique captures the massive geometry of the granite cliffs with solid, structural brushwork. The treatment of sea and sky demonstrates his ability to render atmospheric effects and the play of light on water with naturalistic conviction.