Mountainous Landscape with a Castle and Waterfall
1740
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
About the artist
1740
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Mountainous Landscape with a Castle and Waterfall is a 1740 watercolor by Alexander Cozens, a Baroque work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This watercolor shows a rocky mountain with a tiny castle perched above a roaring waterfall. The greens feel real. The castle is just a dark smudge. Cozens taught art at Eton. He believed in starting with random ink blots, then building real scenes on top. You can see both in this piece—clean lines and free blots. Try drawing your own blot. Hang it next to work by Cozens, Alexander.
This watercolour by Alexander Cozens depicts a mountainous landscape featuring a castle and a waterfall, combining controlled and spontaneous painting methods. Cozens, known for his role as a drawing-master at Eton College, explored the concept of the ‘blot’—an immediate mark that could spark artistic creation—in his theoretical writings. The work reflects his interest in integrating random, accidental techniques with more deliberate composition.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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