John Robert Cozens
, English, 1752-1797
Title
A Valley in the Unterwalden Canton, SwitzerlandDate1789
MediumWatercolour and graphite on paper
Dimensions
37.2 x 53.7 cm
Signedlower left (on mount, in ink): John Cozens 1789
Credit LinePresented, Mr W.M. Smith, 1872
Object numberNGI.2067
DescriptionIn the 1770s John Robert Cozens developed a system of applying watercolour pigment to paper without adding bodycolour, gouache or any other substance. His innovations, for the first time, allowed artists to represent vast expanses of land and sky in a lyrical and evocative manner. It heralded the move away from topographical view-making towards romantic watercolours which gave a real sense of light and atmosphere. Constable, in one of his Hampstead lectures on art described Cozens as: 'the greatest genius that ever touched landscape'. Inspired by the alpine landscapes of Switzerland and Italy, Cozens produced a series of almost monochrome works which embody the power and immensity of the colossal mountains and the comparative insignificance of man.InscriptionOn verso (in graphite): Tête Du ...(?) illegible