Alexander Cozens

Alexander Cozens, the 18th-century 'Blotmaster,' pioneered a unique method of creating imaginative landscapes from abstract ink blots.

ABOUT

Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1717, Alexander Cozens was the son of a shipbuilder working for Emperor Peter I, who was Cozens's godfather. He received his education in England from 1727, later returning to Russia before embarking on a significant journey to Italy in 1746. During his two years in Rome, he honed his skills in the studio of the renowned French landscape painter Claude-Joseph Vernet, a period that likely influenced his early style seen in the fifty-four I…

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NOTABLE WORKS

Ruined Castle and Trees 1760 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Setting Sun 1770 · Whitworth Art Gallery Landscapes 1721 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art A Blot-Lake with Boat, Surrounded by Trees 1750 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Figure in a Classical Landscape 1755 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Interior view of Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire 1760 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art

See all of Alexander's works in Art Whisper

INFLUENCES

Influenced by

Claude-Joseph VernetFrench Landscape Painting Leonardo da VinciRenaissance

Influenced

John Robert CozensBritish Watercolour Painting Joseph Wright of DerbyRomanticism