West Front, Westminster Abbey 1903

Joseph Pennell made this etching of the West Front of Westminster Abbey, and what hits me first are the tones, the grays, and how they give the building a kind of haunted, gothic feel. I can almost see Pennell outside, squinting at the architecture, trying to catch the light just right, and scratching away at the plate, pulling out the form from the darkness. It’s so intricate, all those lines creating this massive, imposing structure. And down below, those tiny figures, they’re like ants, aren’t they? The artist is playing with the contrast between permanence and the fleeting moment, between the grand scale of the Abbey and the small lives passing by. There’s something timeless about this scene. Pennell’s really got me thinking about the weight of history, the way buildings stand as witnesses, while we’re all just passing through.