Portafino, Italy 19th-20th century

Curator: It's my pleasure to introduce Denman Waldo Ross's watercolor titled "Portafino, Italy," currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums, measuring roughly 24 by 34 centimeters. Editor: What strikes me immediately is how quiet it feels. The muted palette and soft brushstrokes give it a hazy, dreamlike quality, almost a memory of a place rather than a direct depiction. Curator: Precisely! Ross’s adept use of watercolor emphasizes light and atmosphere; the washes create a sense of depth, really showcasing the materiality of the paint itself and its interaction with the paper. Editor: Thinking about place, Portofino has always been a site of leisure and privilege. The painting could be seen to reflect how travel was experienced, through a specifically gendered lens, the male gaze of exploration and possession. Curator: Indeed, and it also points towards the commodification of these travel destinations and how they are then consumed by a rising middle class through art. Editor: These kinds of paintings help us consider questions of mobility, access, and representation in art history. It invites us to contemplate who had the privilege to experience such beauty. Curator: A powerful point! It is interesting to consider how art captures not only a scene, but also the socio-economic conditions of its creation.