Plate 11 c. 1785

Editor: This is Plate 11 by Alexander Cozens. It's a monochromatic print, predominantly black ink on what appears to be paper. It’s quite abstract; what strikes you about the materials and process? Curator: The roughness is key. Cozens's print challenges notions of artistic skill by emphasizing the materiality of ink and paper. How does this subversion of technique relate to the rise of industrial printing at the time? Editor: So, it's less about representation and more about the impact of the mechanized reproduction on traditional art practices? That's a whole new perspective! Curator: Precisely! Cozens uses readily available materials to question the elevated status of art, and we see the labor manifest in the final product. I find it fascinating. Editor: It really shifts the focus to the means of production, something I hadn't considered before. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It's important to remember that art is also a product of its material conditions.