A View of the Fens 

John Linnell painted this watercolor landscape, A View of the Fens, using paper and watercolor paints. These materials are relatively inexpensive and portable, which allowed the artist to capture a quick impression of the scene. Look closely at the washes of diluted pigment, capturing the vast expanse of the Fens, a low-lying region in eastern England. The sky is heavy with clouds, rendered with delicate layers of grey and blue, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The earth is depicted with broad strokes of brown and green, suggesting the flatness of the landscape. Linnell's watercolor technique beautifully conveys the Fen's distinctive character, a place transformed by centuries of human intervention through drainage and agriculture. By choosing watercolor, Linnell created an artwork that democratizes landscape painting, and invites us to reconsider the artistic merit of everyday scenes and the value of labor that shapes them.