Drainage Mills in the Fens, Croyland, Lincolnshire 

Editor: This oil painting, titled "Drainage Mills in the Fens, Croyland, Lincolnshire" by John Sell Cotman, captures these mills against a turbulent sky. There’s a sense of looming weather and human effort, all focused around the mills. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: What strikes me immediately is how Cotman renders these mills. They are presented not merely as picturesque elements of the landscape, but as active participants in it. Think about the labor required to build and maintain these structures, and how vital they were to the agricultural viability of the Fens. It suggests an intimate connection to materials and to the landscape itself. Editor: So you're saying the painting highlights more than just the aesthetic value? Curator: Absolutely. It draws attention to the human interaction with the environment. Oil paint itself is made of materials that link it to the land: pigments, oils… Consider how those material choices affect the final appearance. Do you notice how the paint seems almost hastily applied in some areas? Editor: Yes, there's a roughness. Almost like the texture of the fields themselves. Curator: Exactly. It echoes the rough labor and conditions in which the mills were constructed and operated. Also, this approach blurs lines, challenges academic art standards which prized idealized forms. Cotman depicts the scene with unvarnished truth. What do you make of the two figures included in the landscape? Editor: They seem to highlight the scale of the mills, and also maybe represent the people who depended on them. Curator: Precisely! It also hints towards labor division. The work is not only related to art production, but agriculture. We see people integrated into this ecosystem which ultimately allows people to live their lives. The value and impact of labour. It gives us food for thought. Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn't considered how the materials and process emphasized the relationship between labor, land, and the everyday lives of people. Curator: Precisely, that's what happens when you focus on process and materiality to understand the essence and its impact.