People on their Terrace (Unfinished Watercolor) 19th-20th century

Curator: This is William Valentine Schevill's "People on their Terrace (Unfinished Watercolor)" housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Oh, it feels like a fleeting memory, doesn’t it? That sepia wash gives it a nostalgic, almost ghostly quality, like a half-remembered dream. Curator: Indeed. The piece reveals much about the artistic process itself; the visible sketch lines and unfinished areas allow us to trace Schevill's steps. The materiality of the watercolor, its ease of transport and application, speaks to an on-site creation. Editor: Exactly! The unfinished nature makes me wonder about the story behind it. Was the artist interrupted? Did he intentionally leave it open to interpretation? It's an invitation to co-create, in a way. Curator: The limited palette further emphasizes the economic constraints of the materials, and possibly the social context of the scene itself. Editor: It's like peeking into someone's private world, suspended in time. There's a quietness, a stillness, that really draws me in. Curator: The visible labor and process invites us to consider not just the finished image, but the artistic decisions made in its creation. Editor: I think I'll remember this piece as a reminder that beauty can be found even in the incomplete.