Landscape, Assouan, Egypt 19th-20th century

Curator: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Landscape, Assouan, Egypt," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the light – dusty, shimmering, and somehow…old. Curator: Ross's watercolor technique really captures the atmosphere of the place. See how the washes blend seamlessly? Editor: There's a distinct separation of space, too. The foreground is rather weighty, a heavy, ochre wall with those two figures, while the background feels airy and dreamlike. Curator: It's the contrast of the everyday against the exotic, the immediate versus the timeless. The artist is interested in portraying the beauty of everyday life. Editor: Yes, and I love that tension. It makes me wonder about their quiet existence against the backdrop of those ancient hills. Curator: Ross was really able to seize a perfect instant. Editor: Absolutely. It's a little window into another world, isn't it?