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The Fallen Tree

ca. 1785
Not on view
A blasted tree seems to be sitting atop a hill and is set off against a cloudy sky in this imaginary landscape image. To create this work, Cozens applied washes of dark gray and brown ink to a printed impression of plate 1 from his drawing manual "A New Method of Assisting the Invention in Drawing Original Compositions of Landscape" (1786). In this publication, he presented a technique of making abstract blots by smudging ink quickly onto a sheet of paper with a thick brush. The purpose of this technique was to map out a basic compositional structure of a landscape image whilst leaving out the finer details, which were to be worked out at a later stage. By focusing on the overall composition, the technique was intended to free up the artist’s imagination in creating imaginary views. In this rare touched-up plate, the delicately hatched sky contrasts with the roughly printed black ink of the foreground and transforms the print’s abstract marks into a more easily recognizable landscape image.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Fallen Tree
  • Artist: Alexander Cozens (British, Russia 1717–1786 London)
  • Date: ca. 1785
  • Medium: Aquatint with additions in brush and gray wash and graphite
  • Dimensions: sheet: 9 x 12 in. (22.8 x 30.5 cm) (trimmed to picture line)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1906
  • Object Number: 06.1042.17
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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Sycamore, Thorn, Walnut and Willow (from The Shape, Skeleton and Foliage of Thirty two Species of Trees. For the Use of Painting and Drawing)
Alexander Cozens
1771
Pollard-Willow, Weeping-Willow, Pollard Weeping-Willow and Yew (from The Shape, Skeleton and Foliage of Thirty two Species of Trees. For the Use of Painting and Drawing)
Alexander Cozens
1771
Elder, Larch-Fir, Scotch-Fir and Spruce or Norway Fir (from The Shape, Skeleton and Foliage of Thirty two Species of Trees. For the Use of Painting and Drawing)
Alexander Cozens
1771
Lime, Holly, Laburnum and Laurel (from The Shape, Skeleton and Foliage of Thirty two Species of Trees. For the Use of Painting and Drawing)
Alexander Cozens
1771
Oak, Pollard-Oak, Palm and Italian Pine (from The Shape, Skeleton and Foliage of Thirty two Species of Trees. For the Use of Painting and Drawing)
Alexander Cozens
1771

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