A Group of Trees, Coast-Line Beyond. A Blot 

Curator: This is Alexander Cozens’ "A Group of Trees, Coast-Line Beyond. A Blot," held here at the Tate. Editor: A "blot" indeed. It feels so immediate, almost like catching a fleeting thought with ink. Curator: Exactly! Cozens advocated using abstract blots to spark landscape compositions. Note how the monochrome washes create depth, suggesting a distant shore. Editor: The structural use of light and shadow is impressive. The clustered trees on the left are almost a stage curtain, framing the airy expanse beyond. Curator: Cozens felt these blots allowed for a more intuitive, less contrived landscape. Editor: It’s a fascinating approach. It makes me wonder how much of what we see is Cozens, and how much is our own interpretation. Curator: Precisely the point, I think. It is as much about the viewer's imagination as the artist’s hand. Editor: A small study, perhaps, but a doorway into a vast landscape of the mind.