Landscape with Trees, after Dodge MacKnight 19th-20th century

Curator: This is Denman Waldo Ross's "Landscape with Trees, after Dodge MacKnight," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels so light and airy, almost dreamlike with those pastel colors and soft brushstrokes. Curator: Indeed. Ross was deeply interested in color theory, specifically how the arrangement of hues could create harmony. Note how the dabs of paint are applied—almost like tiles, building the forms. Editor: I see echoes of Impressionism, but the color choices feel uniquely American. Perhaps this is a romanticized symbol of the countryside? Curator: Maybe so. Ross's concern was less with realistic representation and more with the inherent qualities of the pigments and their arrangement on the canvas. It's a lovely exercise in pure visual experience. Editor: A pleasing little puzzle, then, of color and form. Curator: Precisely.