The Grand Gallery of the Prado c. 1903

Joseph Pennell made this drawing of The Grand Gallery of the Prado, using crayon. The soft, smudgy marks remind me of artmaking as a dance, a back-and-forth between intention and accident. Look at how the light filters in from above, bouncing off the polished floor and the surfaces of the paintings. The crayon gives everything a velvety texture, softening the hard edges of the architecture and the frames. See how Pennell uses hatching and cross-hatching to build up the shadows, especially in the vaulted ceiling? It’s almost like he’s sculpting the space with light and dark. That hazy atmosphere invites you into the scene, to wander through the gallery. The way Pennell captures the essence of a place, reminds me of Whistler, another artist who was interested in atmosphere and mood. It’s like they’re both saying that art is about feeling, not just seeing. It’s about embracing the ambiguity and finding beauty in the everyday.