Concord Avenue Landscape 19th-20th century

Editor: This vibrant oil sketch, "Concord Avenue Landscape," is attributed to Denman Waldo Ross. The energetic brushstrokes and bright colors make me think of a memory more than a scene. What stands out to you about the way this was made? Curator: Note the gestural marks and the materiality of the paint itself. Ross isn't trying to hide the process of making; the visible brushstrokes celebrate the labor involved. How do these choices challenge traditional notions of landscape painting as a window onto nature? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s more about the paint than the place. Curator: Exactly. By focusing on the paint and the act of painting, Ross shifts our attention to the means of production, blurring the lines between representation and pure material expression. The value lies in the artist's work, not necessarily the scene itself. Editor: That’s given me a new way to look at the image. Thanks!