Landscape with Mountains 19th-20th century

Curator: Let's look at Denman Waldo Ross's "Landscape with Mountains," a watercolor piece located here at Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the watercolor's looseness, almost as if the mountains and landscape are dissolving into the atmosphere. Curator: Indeed. The fluid application suggests a specific kind of labor and consumption of materials, moving away from the rigid academic landscape traditions. Notice the almost casual strokes. Editor: I feel a sense of transience—like a fleeting moment captured. The pink hues on the mountains feel like a memory. Curator: Perhaps reflecting an increased interest in the availability of manufactured pigments, allowing for such nuanced color variations. Editor: For me, this little artwork evokes an entire world, seen through the soft lens of a personal experience. Curator: The materials themselves, the watercolor and paper, point to a democratization of art production—a shift towards more accessible means of creation. Editor: Ultimately, though, it’s the emotional resonance, that wistful feeling, that stays with me. Curator: And for me, it's about recognizing how the art world was evolving toward greater accessibility in materiality.