La Place, Beauvais 1907

Joseph Pennell made this etching, La Place, Beauvais, at an unknown date, using delicate lines to conjure a bustling marketplace. You can almost feel the energy of the crowd, rendered in a symphony of tiny marks. It's like Pennell is thinking out loud, using the plate to capture the fleeting moments of everyday life. The texture is created through the density and variation of the etched lines; they’re so thin it's almost like a whisper on the paper. Look at how the cathedral looms in the background, composed of a mass of such detail. It’s as if Pennell used the etching needle like a pencil, sketching directly onto the plate. This piece reminds me a little of Piranesi, with its intricate architectural details and vast sense of space. Of course, unlike Piranesi, Pennell is interested in modern life. Art is a conversation, right? And this piece is a perfect example of how artists build upon each other's ideas, finding new ways to see and depict the world around us.