West Door, St. Paul's 1903

Joseph Pennell made this etching, West Door, St. Paul's, using a monochrome palette and a real sense of atmosphere to suggest a location, maybe somewhere in London. What’s striking is the way Pennell uses mark-making to evoke a mood. It's all about process, isn't it? There’s a real physicality to the medium. The textures are key, with the dark, velvety blacks contrasting against the pale grays and whites. You can almost feel the way the ink bites into the paper, creating a palpable sense of depth. Look at the figures in the foreground, sketched so fleetingly, they are mere ghosts in the imposing architecture. It's like he's saying something about our place in the urban landscape. This piece is interesting in relation to Whistler's prints of Venice, the way both artists reduce a place to its barest elements, capturing the essential mood of a location. It makes you think about how art is always a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.