Fourth Street, Meeting House, Philadelphia 1920

Joseph Pennell made this print of Fourth Street Meeting House, Philadelphia using etching. The marks are so delicate; you can almost feel the artist breathing as he made them. It reminds me that every line is a decision, a tiny rebellion against the blankness. Look closely at the way Pennell renders the cobblestones. Each stone is suggested with a few quick strokes, leaving plenty of white space, almost like musical rests, letting the eye fill in the gaps. The figures are similarly evanescent, ghosts in top hats. This etching is about light and air as much as it is about architecture. Its soft lines remind me of James McNeill Whistler's etchings of London, both artists interested in capturing the fleeting impressions of modern urban life, embracing art's capacity for suggesting multiple interpretations.