Building the Bridge 1915

Joseph Pennell’s drawing, Building the Bridge, probably made with graphite or ink, is all about the process, a kind of dance between the artist and the emerging structure. The marks feel like they're building the bridge right before our eyes. Look at the gondola dangling high above the bridge. You can almost feel the dizzying height, the precariousness of the situation, through Pennell’s delicate, yet assured lines. The texture of the paper peeks through, adding a sense of immediacy, as if the drawing were made on-site, capturing a fleeting moment. It reminds me of Piranesi's etchings of imaginary prisons, but with a hopeful, forward-looking energy. Both artists, though, share a fascination with the poetics of space and the drama of perspective. It's not just a drawing of a bridge; it's a drawing about building, about progress, and about the human endeavor to shape the world around us.