Unfinished Sketch of Siena 1872

Curator: There’s something beautifully fragile about Albert Goodwin’s "Unfinished Sketch of Siena" housed here at Harvard Art Museums, isn’t there? Editor: Yes, it feels like a half-remembered dream, this delicate wash of color barely clinging to the paper. The composition is quite striking, the monumental architecture dominating the crest. Curator: Exactly! It makes me think about the process of seeing, how we grasp at impressions, light, shadow—never quite fully capturing the essence of a place. Editor: Goodwin's handling of light is masterful, even in this nascent stage. The ochre and muted yellows evoke a sense of timelessness, filtered through memory. Curator: It’s as if the artist wanted us to participate in the creation, filling in the gaps with our own experiences. Editor: Perhaps, or maybe it's a commentary on the futility of ever truly capturing a place. Curator: Either way, it has given me something to think about. Editor: Indeed, it certainly allows the viewer to experience Siena in a profoundly personal way.