Cityscape, Amalfi, Italy 19th-20th century

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross's watercolor, "Cityscape, Amalfi, Italy." It’s all soft edges and hazy colors. How do you see the composition working in this piece? Curator: The eye is guided through the watercolor's textured surface. Ross masterfully employs a limited palette, focusing on subtle tonal variations to define form. Notice how the verticality of the architecture is balanced by the horizontal brushstrokes delineating the landscape. Editor: It’s interesting how the buildings seem to melt into the hills. Curator: Precisely. This blurring of boundaries disrupts conventional perspective, emphasizing the artwork's surface and the materiality of the paint itself. Did you notice that? Editor: I did not, but I will now! Thanks for your expertise. Curator: My pleasure. This piece is a testament to the power of formal elements in conveying a sense of place.