Concord Avenue under the Willow Trees 19th-20th century

Curator: Denman Waldo Ross gifts us a scene, "Concord Avenue under the Willow Trees," a watercolor held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's a dreamy little painting, isn’t it? The colors are so fresh, almost naive, in their brightness. Curator: Yes, the green feels almost aggressively cheerful. Note how the willow, a symbol of melancholy, casts a dark presence against such vibrant optimism. Editor: Perhaps it's about the bittersweetness of life, the beauty tinged with inevitable sorrow? Or just a lovely afternoon walk. Curator: The flowing water, the trees framing the view, it evokes a sense of passage, of time moving, reflecting on what's constant and what fades. Editor: Precisely, It’s a very modest yet lovely artwork. I’m charmed by the immediacy of the artist's vision, aren't you?