In the Works, Homestead 1908

Joseph Pennell made "In the Works, Homestead" as an etching on paper, and it looks like he was really working it! The layers of dark ink create this incredible atmospheric depth, and the details emerge from the shadows. The texture of the paper is a big player here. Pennell's cross-hatching creates different tones, from velvety darks to almost translucent grays. There's one area, near the bottom left, where the cross-hatching gets super dense and chaotic. It’s like a little storm of lines, and it pulls you right in. The way he's rendered the smoke in the background is masterful. It almost feels like it's swirling off the page. Pennell’s work reminds me a little of Piranesi, who also used etching to capture epic, crumbling spaces. But while Piranesi was all about the grandeur of ruins, Pennell seems more interested in the gritty beauty of industry. Both invite us to consider the conversation between art and the way we experience the world.