BLOT

Alexander Cozens was a drawing master of a very unusual kind. Rather than have pupils copy his own work (the usual method), he encouraged originality through a method of 'blotting': pupils used brush and ink to make rapid, semi-random blots which could then be elaborated into more recognisable landscapes. Cozens taught this method as early as the 1750s and published it around 1785 in his treatise 'A New Method for Assisting the Invention in the Composition of Landscape '. This was illustrated with eighteen aquatinted blots, some of which are shown here. Other illustrations demonstrated different ways of developing two of them, while help with adding skies was provided by a series of small engravings of schematic sky compositions.

from A New Method for Assisting the Invention in the Composition of Landscape. Half Clouds Half Plain, the Clouds Darker than the Plain or Blue Part, and Darker at the Top than the Bottom Etching on paperimage: 110 x 159 mmon paper, print

from A New Method for Assisting the Invention in the Composition of Landscape . All Plain, Darker at the Top than the Bottom, Gradually Etching on paperimage: 110 x 158 mmon paper, print

from A New Method for Assisting the Invention in the Composition of Landscape . A Flat, Bounded on All Sides by Groups of Objects Aquatint on paperimage: 199 x 303 mmon paper, print

A Wooded Hill Top, with Thunder Clouds Pencil and watercolour on papersupport: 220 x 311 mm frame (Royal): 598 x 447 x 25 mmon paper, unique

Study of Sky No. 4 with Landscape Pencil and watercolour on papersupport: 220 x 315 mmon paper,

Study of Sky Watercolour on papersupport: 220 x 315 mm on paper

Aquatint on paperimage: 240 x 314 mmon paper, print from Plates 1-16 (`blot' landscapes) for `A New Method of Assisting the Invention in Drawing Original Compositions of Landscape'

Aquatint on paperimage: 240 x 314 mmon paper, print from Plates 1-16 (`blot' landscapes) for `A New Method of Assisting the Invention in Drawing Original Compositions of Landscape'