Canterbury meadows

During an exhibiting career that lasted 69 years, Cooper hardly produced one picture that did not feature either cows or sheep. His works were inspired by the great Dutch animal painters of the 17th century, such as Paulus Potter and Aelbert Cuyp. The subjects were set in the Kent countryside around the artist’s house of Vernon Holme near Canterbury. The animals are generally placid, but here one sheep seems to fix the spectator with a disapproving glance.