The Avenue 1910

This is Joseph Pennell’s etching, "The Avenue," now housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The rows of trees lining the avenue are a striking motif, reminiscent of processional avenues of ancient Greece. Consider the ancient significance of trees, often seen as symbols of life, growth, and connectivity between the earthly and spiritual realms. In ancient cultures, sacred groves were places of worship, and the avenues leading to temples were lined with trees, creating a sense of reverence and anticipation. Pennell’s avenue evokes a similar feeling of passage, guiding the viewer’s eye towards the industrial buildings in the background. The juxtaposition of nature and industry creates a tension, reflecting the modern era’s complex relationship with progress. The avenue serves as a pathway, a visual metaphor for the journey from the natural world to the constructed environment. This cyclical progression highlights the enduring human drive to shape and transform our surroundings, a theme that echoes across cultures and centuries.