Penn. Station 1929

Reginald Marsh made this drawing of Penn Station using charcoal, which is a medium that lends itself well to capturing the gritty atmosphere of a bustling train station. The image is a flurry of bodies, a real slice of life from the 1920s. I can imagine Marsh standing there, charcoal in hand, trying to capture the chaotic energy of the commuters rushing through Penn Station. The way he's layered the figures, there's a real sense of depth and movement. The charcoal gives the scene a smoky, almost dreamlike quality. Marsh’s choice of medium feels right for the subject. Charcoal has this raw, immediate quality that mirrors the fleeting nature of the moment he’s capturing. It's like he’s not just drawing a scene but also the feeling of being in that scene. You can feel the crowds pushing, the trains rumbling, and the city buzzing just outside. Marsh is part of a long conversation among artists, each riffing on the themes and techniques of those who came before. He shows us that art isn’t about fixed meanings but about opening up possibilities.