A Craggy Hillside 

James Ward made this drawing of 'A Craggy Hillside' using graphite on paper. Ward was working in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period when British artists were increasingly interested in the natural world, yet, we must remember that they often viewed it through a very particular lens. Notice the dramatic use of light and shadow, which creates a sense of drama and grandeur. At the time that Ward was working, the Royal Academy was still the dominant institution in the art world, so the kinds of wild and 'sublime' landscapes became increasingly popular. These often reflected Britain's growing imperial power. To understand the image better, we can look to the writings of art critics, exhibition reviews, and the artist's biography to understand the conditions in which this drawing was made. This enables us to understand the politics of landscape imagery and the cultural values that underpin it.