Venice, Italy 19th-20th century

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross's watercolor, "Venice, Italy," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels so light and airy, capturing Venice in a hazy dream. What symbols resonate with you in this piece? Curator: The gondola, of course, immediately speaks to Venice's unique identity, a city intertwined with water. But consider the colors. The muted palette evokes a sense of nostalgia, almost a memory of Venice, rather than a literal depiction. Editor: I see what you mean. It's like Venice as an idea. Curator: Precisely! And even the blurry rendering of the architecture makes it seem less like a city of stone and more like a floating mirage, a potent symbol of Venice's fragility and timeless allure. Notice how the water reflects everything, mirroring the city and doubling the symbolic weight. Editor: Wow, I didn't think of it that way. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: It's amazing how much symbolism can be packed into such a simple scene, isn't it?