Landscape with Tower, Trees and Hills; Schematic Sky with Sun 

Editor: This is Alexander Cozens' "Landscape with Tower, Trees and Hills; Schematic Sky with Sun." It's a brown wash on paper. It feels almost like a coded map, very abstract and not at all like the idealized landscapes I'm used to seeing. What do you make of it? Curator: It's fascinating how Cozens challenges the picturesque conventions of his time. The schematic nature hints at a deeper question: what *is* a landscape? Is it a mirror of nature, or a construction of social and cultural values? Editor: So, you're saying he's not just painting pretty scenery? Curator: Exactly. He’s critiquing the very idea of the "ideal" landscape, prompting viewers to consider the underlying power structures and cultural expectations that shape our perception of the natural world. Think about how the landed gentry commissioned landscapes, projecting their dominance onto the land. Editor: That's a very different way to look at landscapes! I'll have to rethink my assumptions. Curator: Indeed, and that's precisely the point. Art challenges, art provokes.