Lanyon had been always been interested in places where solids and fluids come together, such as the meeting of sea and cliff, of wind and rock, and wanted his work to capture all of his feelings about the land- or seascape and the effects of wind and rain and spume. In his paintings there is a sense of things moving backwards and forwards, and the handling of paint, from light washes to thick impasto, give an illusion of depth. In a recorded talk Lanyon spoke about the movement of surf: ‘When you are close to the water, the horizon disappears. The surf comes in and undermines your feet. I am fascinated by this kind of unbalance, the feeling you have when you look over the edge of a cliff and turn your head to one side… In Low Tide the (surf) is much calmer … there’s a suggestion of a figure – right down in the sea, in the shallow water. It’s a picture of sky and sea; there’s no land in it at all.’

From the text of an illustrated lecture given by the artist for the British Council, 1962.