Breaking Wave before 1933

Curator: Charles Herbert's watercolor, "Breaking Wave," captures, to me, the ocean's raw power so poetically. It's at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It feels less like a "breaking wave" and more like being swallowed by the sea. The colors are beautiful, though, a dreamy, almost ethereal green. Curator: Herbert, active in the 19th century, painted seascapes that reflected growing interest in nature and, simultaneously, the anxieties of industrialization. He found peace, perhaps, in the untamed ocean. Editor: I get that. The ocean as escape. And the way he uses the watercolor—washes of color rather than sharp lines—emphasizes that feeling of being lost, adrift. Curator: Exactly! The scale too, only 16 by 20 inches, invites an intimate, almost vulnerable viewing experience. It's a potent piece, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely. There's something quite profound in how it makes me feel so small. Curator: Yes, a miniature epic. Editor: A perfect little storm in a frame.