Summer Day in Madrid c. 1903

Curator: Oh, wow, it feels like I can hear the city's hum just looking at it. So alive. Editor: Indeed. This is Joseph Pennell's "Summer Day in Madrid," created around 1903. It’s an ink drawing, almost print-like, on paper. The Art Institute of Chicago currently holds it. Curator: It's an impression, a fleeting moment. Like catching a city’s pulse rather than a formal portrait. So much movement! The trams, the crowds… it's almost dizzying but in a good way. You can practically feel the heat rising off the square. Editor: Pennell was fascinated by urban scenes. Think of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – cities were exploding with new technologies, new social dynamics. Representing that energy was key to many artists. This reminds me of similar explorations by the Impressionists and Ashcan School artists. Curator: Totally, it's all hustle and bustle, and this chaotic feeling also gives some information. Everything is just lightly suggested rather than perfectly detailed. A world in constant flux. Does that connect to the socio-political scene? Editor: Absolutely. Pennell and his contemporaries grappled with depicting modern life – how cities were evolving, what that meant for people. There was a desire to show the *experience* of being in a city rather than just presenting a sanitized, idealized version. Also, consider how public spaces became stages for political rallies, protests... cityscapes weren't neutral backgrounds, they were charged environments. Curator: And isn't it interesting that it is on paper using ink? The starkness is a reminder of our own temporary existence? Kind of poetic, right? The drawing itself is kind of fading and blurring, in contrast to buildings and crowds. Editor: That choice also speaks to the rise of print culture and illustration at the time. Ink drawings were easily reproduced, and the depicted themes resonated across different cities and cultures, shaping global imaginaries of modernity. They reflect what everyone wanted to see, a busy modern cityscape. Curator: I will definitely keep this in mind when thinking about cities and my feelings towards them. It's as though I were always waiting for something unknown. Editor: I'm left thinking about how even what seem like simple sketches can carry so much historical weight. These glimpses into the past offer insight not just to the artist's vision but how whole generations saw and shaped their world.