Plate 14 c. 1785

Editor: This is Plate 14 by Alexander Cozens, its date is unknown. The abstract shapes remind me of foliage, or perhaps a dense forest. What do you see in this work? Curator: I see a 'blot,' really—a deliberate ambiguity. Cozens believed these abstract ink blots could unlock the imagination, a kind of visual Rorschach test for artists. Do you see how the forms could be read as landscape elements? Editor: Yes, now I see it! It's like a suggestion of a landscape. So, the viewer participates in creating the image? Curator: Precisely. It reveals the power of suggestion and cultural memory. We are primed to see landscapes, and that's what we find. I learned that these simple forms are not so simple. Editor: I agree! It's a fascinating insight into how our minds work with art.