Waterfall, North Wales 

James Ward made this drawing, Waterfall, North Wales, using pencil and watercolour wash. This would have been made during a period of social upheaval in Britain, which saw an unprecedented increase in population, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Ward’s painting belongs to the sublime; it is a moment in which a wild landscape inspires awe. But the sublime was also a product of institutions, notably the Picturesque movement, that shaped how people understood and engaged with nature. This image asks us to consider the politics of landscape, and to contemplate how the institutions of art and the social conditions of life shape artistic production. It's tempting to see this as an apolitical image – merely a depiction of nature. But we must consider what Ward omits. There are no people and no industry. Instead, he offers us an idealised landscape, one which presents an escape from the realities of urban life. To understand it further, we need to consider the cultural context in which it was made, looking to the landscape paintings of the period and the social function they performed.