Ford's conclusion is that ' ... during his first year in Rome, Zuccarelli, Marco Ricci, Piazzetta, Salvator Rosa, Titian, Nicolas and Gaspar Poussin, Claude, and even classical antiquities were all drawn upon in varying degrees by Wilson [...] The Wicklow pictures show us what Wilson was doing shortly after his arrival in Rome. They show us clearly that he was in an experimental stage in his development, when he was struggling hard to discover, first by painting in one style, then in another, which particular branch of art to pursue [...] To what extent Wilson was guided by Vernet it is impossible to say, but the experience gained from painting the Wicklow pictures, which reveal at once both his gifts and limitations, must have been an important factor in deciding him that landscape painting was his true vocation. It is therefore no exaggeration to say that the year 1752 marks a vital turning point in his career.'
