6. A Single or Principal Object, Opposed to the Sky; as a Tree, a Ruin, a Rock, Etc. or a Group of Objects 

Curator: The mass of dark ink is so arresting; it feels like a storm brewing. Editor: Indeed. This is "6. A Single or Principal Object, Opposed to the Sky," by Alexander Cozens. He was working in the 18th century, a time when ideas about landscape were shifting. Curator: How so? It feels almost subversive in its starkness. It lacks the picturesque qualities one expects. Editor: Exactly! Cozens challenged prevailing aesthetics. He used what he called "blotting," a technique for generating landscape ideas from abstract ink shapes, democratizing art-making. Curator: So, a process of freeing the imagination, moving away from idealised nature and towards something more…psychological, perhaps? Editor: Precisely. The implications for the politics of representation are huge. It suggests anyone can find art within themselves and their own interpretation. Curator: It's interesting how this small image contains such revolutionary thinking about art and access. Editor: It is a potent reminder of the political power inherent in art's seemingly simple forms.