 Based on the Rückenfigur (literally "back figure") paintings of German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich and the "Besetzungen" (occupations) series of images by Anselm Kiefer, Sonnets sought to critique sentimental and kitsch depictions of the Scottish landscape.The series attempts to explore issues of Scottish national identity and its depiction in Scottish art, through depicting controversial historical locations such as Gruinard Island (a site of biological warfare testing) and Glencoe where the Massacre of Glencoe took place.Sonnets takes its name from a collection of poems by Scottish Makar (Poet Laureate) Edwin Morgan, who later collaborated with Boyd on the project.