Big Tree, Cheyne Walk 1906

Joseph Pennell made this print of a Big Tree, Cheyne Walk, with delicate lines that dance across the paper. It’s like he’s sketching with acid, letting the image emerge from a bath of possibilities. I can imagine him standing there, squinting at the scene, trying to capture the way the light filters through the leaves. The tree itself seems to lean in, as if whispering secrets to the building behind it. You can almost feel the breeze rustling through the branches. The street feels like a stage set. Pennell’s really good at capturing the urban landscape with this sense of fleeting, ephemeral beauty. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation. We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to make sense of the world one gesture at a time. And that’s what makes it so exciting.