Entrance to Zocodover, Toledo c. 1903

Joseph Pennell created this lithograph called Entrance to Zocodover, Toledo with crayon, scraping, and stumping. The dark blacks and cloudy greys make the scene feel like it's emerging from a dream. I can imagine Pennell standing there, charcoal in hand, squinting at the dazzling Toledo light, trying to capture the scene. It's all about light, how it carves out the architecture and the people moving through it. Look at the way he uses the crayon on the architecture to pull back the buildings into the distance, a sense of deep space. Pennell was an etcher as well as a lithographer, and he probably knew Goya’s etchings of Spain. Like Goya, he understood how to find the drama and energy in everyday life. The grainy texture adds to the atmosphere, almost like a memory fading in and out. It’s not about precision, but about feeling the place, the buzz of the Spanish square. It's like he's inviting us to step right into the print and get lost in Toledo.