Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Athens, the Mosque 1913

Joseph Pennell’s etching, Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Athens, the Mosque, has a frenetic energy, a swarm of marks, that make up the scene. I imagine him on location, squinting in the bright sunlight, working fast, trying to capture it all. The Acropolis looms like a hulking beast in the background. Pennell wasn't interested in some sort of perfect rendering, more a vibe, a feeling of the ancient world mixing with the modern one, a sort of bustling, chaotic, layering of time. Check out the way he renders the crowd, a series of dashes and scribbles suggesting movement and life. He wasn't trying to nail every detail, but something more impressionistic, fleeting. I sympathize with him, trying to make sense of it all. It's like he’s saying, hey, this place is a mess, but it’s beautiful, you know? It reminds me of Piranesi who was equally obsessed with capturing the grandeur and decay of Rome. Artists are always in conversation, riffing on each other's ideas and approaches, trying to make sense of this crazy world.