Street Scene, Orizaba, Mexico 19th-20th century

Curator: Denman Waldo Ross captures a fleeting moment in his watercolor titled "Street Scene, Orizaba, Mexico," held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The first thing that grabs me is the way the buildings almost dissolve into the sky. It’s like the architecture is breathing, or exhaling, into the atmosphere. Curator: Ross was deeply interested in color theory, and you see that at play here. The washes create a luminous effect, almost blurring the lines between representation and pure sensation. Editor: Right, and that luminosity comes, in part, from the materials. Watercolor allows for a layering of color, but also a sense of transparency. I’m curious about the paper he chose and how that surface interacted with the paint. Curator: It does feel so immediate and present, doesn't it? A fleeting glimpse caught in time and rendered with such vibrancy. It's almost enough to make you want to pack your bags! Editor: Well, I'm intrigued by how the artist uses such conventional materials to evoke such an ethereal scene. It’s a reminder that even with simple tools, a skilled hand can produce magic.