Landscape with Buildings, Palermo, Italy 19th-20th century

Curator: This is Denman Waldo Ross's sketch, "Landscape with Buildings, Palermo, Italy," part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It's a small, intimate work done in pencil. Editor: It feels so immediate, almost like catching a breath of fresh air. The sketchiness lends a sense of fleeting beauty to the scene. Curator: Ross's approach to landscape is quite interesting. He seems to be capturing the essence of the place, not just a literal representation. There is a deliberate incompleteness here, a rawness. Editor: I'm drawn to the architectural elements, the suggestion of ancient arches against the backdrop of the hill. They whisper stories of a place steeped in history. It's more than just a landscape; it’s a memoryscape. Curator: Ross, as a teacher, was deeply concerned with aesthetics and formal qualities. I sense that he wanted to capture the tonal values. Editor: And the way the light almost dissolves the forms! It’s less about precision and more about atmosphere. I love how a simple pencil sketch can evoke so much. Curator: It's a lovely glimpse into Ross's practice, a reminder that beauty often lies in the simplest of observations. Editor: Absolutely, a fleeting impression captured with such sensitivity—Palermo through the eyes of an artist.