Spring, Arnside Knot from Warton Crag

Living first at Warton-in-Carnforth and subsequently at Broughton-in-Furness, Williamson painted the local landscape in watercolour and oil. His bright Pre-Raphaelite palette was used in his Warton Crag pictures to capture the strength of local colour in very hot weather. The distant view of Coniston Old Man is seen with its encircling hills in the sharp focus of a clear summer day. The rich purple and yellows used to paint the heather and broom in this scene have the same acid sharpness as many of the Pre-Raphaelite painter William Holman Hunt's (1827-1910) pictures. The detailed depiction of the sheep and the limestone rocks appear to be influenced by Hunt’s painting 'Strayed Sheep' (Tate, London).This painting was made during the 1860s when Williamson painted in a Pre-Raphaelite style.