Alpine Landscape 1913

Curator: Here we have Denman Waldo Ross's "Alpine Landscape", part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's remarkably vibrant, almost Fauvist, for a landscape; the purples and greens are so intense. Curator: Ross was deeply involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, emphasizing the artist's hand in production. Notice how the watercolor brushstrokes themselves build the form. Editor: Exactly. It's not just about representation. The materiality of the paint, the texture it creates, is equally important to depicting these mountains. It looks quickly rendered, like a study. Curator: He was a collector as well, shaping the museum's holdings with his own aesthetic values. Editor: It makes you wonder about the value placed on labor, and how that filters into the art market. Curator: Interesting, a good point to ponder about art and its place in society. Editor: Definitely, these mountains provide a fresh lens.