Cliff, Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts 19th-20th century

Editor: This watercolor is titled "Cliff, Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts" by Denman Waldo Ross. The vibrant colors give it a hopeful, serene feeling. What strikes you about it? Curator: The Indigenous name for Gay Head is Aquinnah, and those cliffs are sacred. Ross's impressionistic style obscures the violent history of settler colonialism, don’t you think? It sentimentalizes the landscape. Editor: I hadn't thought of that. So, by focusing on aesthetics, it sort of erases the cultural significance? Curator: Precisely. It’s vital to acknowledge whose land we’re viewing, and the power dynamics inherent in landscape representation. Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. Thanks!