El Kantara, Near Biskra, Algeria 19th-20th century

Curator: What a gentle, almost sun-bleached scene. The hues are so soft, like a memory fading at the edges. Editor: Indeed. This small oil on canvas is titled "El Kantara, Near Biskra, Algeria" by Denman Waldo Ross, held here at the Harvard Art Museums. It captures a moment, but I can't help but wonder, a moment seen through what lens? Curator: A nostalgic one, perhaps? Look at the almost dreamlike quality, the way the buildings seem to melt into the landscape. There's a yearning here, a romantic gaze at a place so different from his own, I imagine. Editor: Perhaps. We must also acknowledge the power dynamics at play, the colonial gaze inherent in a Western artist depicting an Algerian landscape and people. Whose story is really being told? And for whom? Curator: I suppose it is always a remix of stories, isn’t it? I still find it beautiful, though, this little glimpse into another world. Editor: It prompts us to question what that beauty obscures, doesn’t it? The charm should never overshadow the history. Curator: A beautiful discomfort, then, maybe that's what art is all about.