Untitled (sailboats on water) c. 1935

Curator: This is C. Bennette Moore's "Untitled (sailboats on water)," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, a silver gelatin print measuring about 8 by 10 inches. Editor: It feels so stark! Like a dream half-remembered, all silhouettes and shimmering reflections. Is it me, or does the inverted contrast give it an almost ghostly quality? Curator: Precisely. The high contrast emphasizes the masts and rigging, creating an intricate network of lines against the dark sky. The water acts as a mirror, doubling the complexity of the composition. Editor: Yes, that reflection…it almost destabilizes the boats! I feel a longing, maybe a touch of melancholy. Like the end of a long day at sea, the calm before a storm. Curator: The lack of color certainly contributes to the mood, stripping away any sense of place or time, focusing instead on the essential forms and relationships. A visual poem of light and shadow. Editor: Well, said. I'll be thinking about those ghostly sails for some time. Curator: As will I, particularly how Moore captures the silent elegance of these vessels.