Cheddar Cliffs 

Editor: This is Thomas Daniell’s watercolor, "Cheddar Cliffs." The cliffs dominate the composition and made me wonder about the landscape's formation. What can you tell me about the materials and processes behind this artwork? Curator: The means of production are interesting. Daniell's choice of watercolor, a relatively accessible material, speaks to the developing landscape tourism and demand for picturesque views. How does this accessibility shape your understanding of the work? Editor: I never thought about it that way. Knowing it was watercolor suggests a wider audience and perhaps a different relationship with the landscape than, say, an oil painting commissioned by a wealthy patron. Curator: Exactly. The materiality informs our understanding of the painting's purpose and its connection to the emerging culture of leisure and consumption of landscape imagery. Editor: That's a great perspective. I will remember to think about the materials and production more carefully.