Siena, Italy 1893

Curator: This watercolor by Robert David Gauley captures Siena, Italy. The artwork is currently housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's striking how Gauley uses washes of color to create a sense of light and shadow; there's a dreamlike quality, almost as if the scene is fading. Curator: Considering Siena's long history as a powerful city-state, this work speaks to the city's enduring cultural significance—though rendered here with what feels like a deliberate lightness. Do you think Gauley is making a statement about power? Editor: Perhaps. Or maybe he's engaging with the way landscapes are often romanticized and de-politicized. The building seems isolated from any social context. Curator: Absolutely. The work certainly invites us to consider the politics of viewing, especially given the art historical contexts of landscape and the gaze. Editor: I agree. It makes me consider the relationship between place, identity, and representation.