Entrance to Henry VII's Chapel 1905

Joseph Pennell made this etching, Entrance to Henry VII's Chapel, with sepia-toned ink and a sharp tool, scraping into the metal plate to bring the image into being. You can almost feel the pressure of the artist’s hand as he created the lines, a choreography between the tool, the plate, and his inner vision. I imagine him standing there, squinting, trying to capture the grandeur of the architecture, maybe feeling a bit overwhelmed by the task. Did he pause, frustrated, before finding the right angle? Notice how the dark shadows and the light falling on the stonework create a kind of dance? The long lines on the floor, drawn as if quickly sketched, give the impression of movement and blur the boundaries of the image. It reminds me of Piranesi's architectural fantasies, but Pennell’s got his own voice. There is an honesty in the way he reveals the process. Artists, you know, we're always in conversation, borrowing, stealing, and riffing off each other’s ideas. And it's that messy, imperfect dialogue that makes art so alive.