The Temple 1912

Joseph Pennell created this etching, called ‘The Temple’, to capture the grandeur of the American West. Pennell was one of a generation of American artists to depict the landscape as both sublime and monumental. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the American West became a symbol of national identity, a place of adventure, opportunity, and spiritual renewal. Pennell’s image participates in a broader cultural movement which constructed national myths. What are the politics of this imagery? Pennell was responding to a growing interest in the American West, fueled by tourism, railroad expansion, and government-sponsored exploration. Through the selective framing of landscape, artists had the power to reinforce certain ideas and ideals about the nation’s character. Historical research into these social and institutional contexts opens up new understandings of the role of art in shaping our perceptions of the world.