The Brussels Canal, A Modern Hobbema 1910

Joseph Pennell made "The Brussels Canal, A Modern Hobbema" using etching, capturing a scene that feels both industrial and strangely serene. The marks are economical, almost like quick notes jotted down, but together they build a complex vision. Look at the sky, how it’s created with these tiny, flickering lines, like a nervous energy hovering above the solid structures. Pennell’s surface has a beautiful texture, a kind of gritty elegance. I can almost feel the weight of the metal in those factories and the soft, hazy air. The way the lines vary in thickness and direction gives the image depth and a sense of atmosphere. This piece reminds me of Piranesi, who also found beauty in the architecture, and whose etchings also had a similar, almost obsessive quality. It’s that tension between detail and simplicity, the solid and the ethereal, that makes this image so compelling. It's not about perfection; it's about feeling and seeing.