Azores 19th-20th century

Curator: Immediately I feel the vastness of the ocean; it’s almost unsettling how much space the water takes up. Editor: This watercolor, titled "Azores," is by Denman Waldo Ross, and it is currently held in the Harvard Art Museums. It's a landscape with a dramatic headland. Curator: Yes, the cliffs provide some relief, though they are painted in a dreamy palette. It almost feels like looking at a memory. Editor: Ross believed in color harmony and saw beauty in abstract relationships. Perhaps that's why the landscape seems secondary to the color blocks. Curator: It's interesting to think about how the landscape tradition is altered when color becomes the main subject. It's not about what you see but how you feel the color. Editor: Precisely. It's a study in aesthetic theory as much as it is a representation of a place. It makes me reconsider what we ask of landscape painting. Curator: I agree, it makes you wonder about the many unseen facets of the natural world and reminds me that perception is indeed a deeply personal affair.