Brick Mansion, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 1917

Editor: Here we have Childe Hassam’s "Brick Mansion, Portsmouth, New Hampshire," a watercolor painting. It has a lovely, quaint feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a portrait of a building, but more profoundly, a portrait of a society. Hassam often depicted scenes of American life, and this brick mansion speaks to the enduring presence of colonial architecture, particularly in New England, and the socio-economic structures it represents. Editor: Interesting. It feels more like a simple landscape to me. Curator: Perhaps, but the choice to focus on the architecture, its rigid geometry, the stark contrast of the red brick against the blue shutters, all points to a visual language of power and permanence. How might this image speak to issues of land ownership and historical privilege? Editor: I never would have considered those elements. Thanks for this different perspective! Curator: My pleasure! It's important to always consider the context of a work.