The City Hall and Bridge across Market Street 1912

Joseph Pennell made this energetic drawing of City Hall with, seemingly, quick marks. It feels like he’s really working through an idea and the physical act of artmaking is right there on the paper. Look closely. Pennell used hatching to build up the darker tones which gives a sense of depth and volume. You can almost feel the weight of the building, the texture of the stone. See how the strokes are more frenetic in the sky, softer and more controlled in the architecture? The lines are so raw and immediate and yet, he’s created this incredibly detailed and grand scene. It's all about the process, the energy, and the sheer joy of mark-making. I think about Piranesi and his feverish architectural prints, so precise and yet full of fantasy, and I’m reminded that art is a conversation across time, a constant re-evaluation of how we see and experience the world. There are no definitive answers, only different ways of looking.