Whitehall Court from Westminster 1906

Curator: Let's explore Joseph Pennell's etching and drypoint, "Whitehall Court from Westminster," created in 1906 and housed here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It presents a view along the Thames, capturing the architecture and atmosphere of Edwardian London. What's your first impression? Editor: Gloomy elegance. There's something hauntingly beautiful about the almost washed-out detail, capturing London’s quintessential overcast sky, perhaps even invoking the notorious pea-soupers, or deadly fogs of that era. Curator: Pennell's choice of etching and drypoint is crucial here. The techniques themselves create this very atmospheric effect you've described. Etching captures the finer lines of the buildings while the drypoint creates that slightly blurred, almost dreamlike quality with its burr. Think about how those processes themselves became symbols for fleeting impressions of a quickly changing city. Editor: Precisely! It speaks volumes about urban life at the turn of the century, reflecting a sense of progress mixed with an undeniable undercurrent of societal tension. The choice to depict Whitehall, a seat of power, adds another layer. Is he celebrating it or critiquing its role? Curator: It's interesting you see tension because Whitehall holds so much symbolic weight, but in Pennell's treatment, it appears softened, almost ethereal. Could that suggest his fascination lies in transforming such strong symbols through impressionistic aesthetics, maybe even suggesting the city itself is changing them? Editor: I think it invites contemplation on permanence and power in the face of modernization. The city, then as now, reshapes itself, reflecting shifts in authority and social order. Even the river acts as both a vein of commerce and a subtle border, suggesting separations within society. The constant movement creates tension. Curator: The symbols within symbols—that’s what truly resonates for me. The fog isn't just weather, it’s a shroud of societal concerns and even hopes. Editor: Ultimately, Pennell provides a view that is not just pictorial, but densely social. A subtle suggestion to observe and question. Curator: A quiet challenge from the past that invites the present to reflect on the ongoing narratives written within the architecture of our world. Editor: And to recognise those whose stories aren't immediately apparent.