Ginger 1924

Curator: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Ginger," a pencil drawing from 1924, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's quite stark, isn't it? The subject's gaze feels direct, almost confrontational, despite the soft rendering. Curator: Note how Ross employs geometric guidelines, creating a rigorous structure beneath the portrait. It speaks to an interest in underlying forms. Editor: Indeed, but I wonder who "Ginger" was. Was this a commissioned piece, or a study? The title gives us so little to go on. Curator: Perhaps Ross was exploring the relationship between representation and abstraction, using a real subject as a basis for formal experimentation. Editor: Or maybe it was simply a casual portrait of someone he knew, whose story adds a layer of meaning we can only speculate about. Curator: A compelling tension between surface and structure. Editor: Yes, a silent story etched in pencil.