Old and New Mills 1910

Joseph Pennell made this etching called "Old and New Mills" and I find it so compelling because of the way it shows us how art can capture a moment of massive change. He's not just drawing what he sees; he's showing us how to see it. There's something about the way the smokestacks and the windmill are rendered with the same kind of marks that makes you think. Look at the smokestacks, they're spitting out all that smoke but they are defined by the same sketchy lines that form the clouds. The texture is pretty consistent throughout and that has a flattening effect. The old and new mills are equally present, equally weighted. It makes me think of Whistler, another artist who was super interested in cityscapes and industry. Both artists remind us that art isn't just about capturing beauty, it's about finding ways of seeing and thinking about the world around us, even when that world is messy, complicated, and in transition.