Early Morning, Miraflores 1912

Joseph Pennell made this print, Early Morning, Miraflores, with ink on paper. Look at the scene; it’s just hatching, cross-hatching, and a few dark areas. Pennell’s definitely trying to capture a moment. I imagine him outside, maybe at dawn, trying to get the light as it comes up, those smokestacks just starting to puff. How does he decide where to put the lines, how much to suggest? It’s a big construction site – maybe the Panama Canal? – with all these workers milling around, dwarfed by the industrial scale of the project. And those tracks going every which way create a rhythm. It’s organized but also chaotic. I can imagine him, squinting, charcoal in hand, trying to make sense of it all. What do you keep and what do you throw away? He creates this beautiful image out of the ordinary world, and there’s something so inspiring about that. Pennell's print reminds us that art thrives on exploration and conversation, constantly building upon what has come before.