Canyon, No. III 1904

Here is Joseph Pennell’s etching on paper, Canyon, No. III. Look at the delicate strokes here – like fragile lines – and how the artist has built a canyon of vertical lines. I can just imagine Pennell using some kind of stylus to draw and drag across the printing plate. You can almost see the artist’s hand moving back and forth, a kind of frantic energy shaping these buildings. There is a real sense of claustrophobia, that the buildings on either side are so close to each other, and pressing in on all these tiny people below. The urban space is almost swallowing them. I know it might sound strange, but the buildings almost seem to breathe. You know? This reminds me of Piranesi's etchings. He was also super interested in architecture. There is such a long conversation between artists, and one generation teaches the next how to see!