28. All Cloudy, except One Large Opening, with Others Smaller, the Clouds Lighter than the Plain Part, and Darker at the Top than the Bottom. The Tint Twice in the Openings, and Once in the Clouds 

Curator: This is plate 28 from Alexander Cozens’ series of cloud studies, held at the Tate. Editor: It has an airy, almost weightless quality, achieved with very simple etched lines. Curator: Cozens was quite interested in the material nature of clouds, and developed a systematic approach. His work challenges the hierarchy placing landscape painting above pure abstraction. Editor: Indeed, consider how the prints function as both art objects and tools for artistic production. Cozens encouraged artists to use these prints to freely sketch from. Curator: The cloudscapes became a kind of visual raw material, influencing the artistic landscape of the time. Editor: This certainly makes you consider the cloud not just as a natural phenomenon but as a cultural signifier, shaped by artistic interventions and institutions.