Venice - S. Georgio 1885

Joseph Pennell made this etching, "Venice - S. Georgio," to capture his impressions of Venice. Pennell, an American expatriate, like so many other artists of the time, was drawn to Europe, a place that offered a rich tapestry of history and culture. Pennell renders Venice as a bustling port city, full of gondolas and merchant ships, its famous architecture lining the horizon. There’s a real nostalgia here, in the way the city is depicted, and this is complicated by Pennell's own position as an outsider looking in. What does it mean to represent a place that isn't really yours? How do you negotiate your gaze with the history and culture that's already there? Pennell once wrote, “I have always tried to impress upon students that Art is a language.” This work, while beautiful, prompts us to consider how identity and perspective shape our understanding and representation of the world. It invites us to reflect on the emotional connections we form with places, and the responsibility that comes with interpreting and sharing them.