Landscape with Clock Tower, Grisons, Switzerland 19th-20th century

Curator: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Landscape with Clock Tower, Grisons, Switzerland", housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a delicate pencil drawing. Editor: It's so understated, almost melancholic. The composition focuses your eye on that stark clock tower, as if time is the only constant in this ephemeral landscape. Curator: Notice how Ross uses the pencil to create layers of texture. The foliage is suggested with loose, scribbled lines, contrasting with the more defined structure of the buildings. Editor: I'm struck by how the image evokes a sense of historical context. The clock tower can symbolize power and civic organization but also the control and regulation of everyday life within the community. Curator: An interesting reading! For me, it's the interplay of light and shadow, the artist's attention to form, that makes it compelling. Editor: Fair enough. To me, it’s a poignant reminder of time's relentless march. Curator: I am left with a feeling of admiration for Ross’s compositional choices. Editor: I leave feeling a need to consider the community's history.