Looking up the Cut from Bas Obispo 1912

Joseph Pennell made this work, Looking up the Cut from Bas Obispo, with crayon on paper. It's all about line, hatching, cross-hatching, to be precise! Look closely, and you'll see how he builds up the forms, the depth, and the light with these tiny, energetic strokes. I love how the paper isn't completely covered. The bare areas create contrast, and add to the drawing's sense of immediacy. You can see the landscape, the mountains, the raw cut of the Panama Canal, but it's also about the process of seeing, of translating a three-dimensional world into a two-dimensional image. Notice the way the lines thicken and darken in the foreground, creating a sense of weight and solidity, while the background fades into a hazy distance. This piece reminds me of Piranesi and his architectural prints, those dramatic perspectives and intricate details. But where Piranesi is all about grandeur and monumentality, Pennell brings a more human touch, a sense of wonder at the sheer scale and ambition of the Panama Canal project. It's a reminder that art isn't just about capturing reality, but about transforming it through the act of looking and making.