Stock Exchange 1920

This is Joseph Pennell's "Stock Exchange," an etching, a dance of lines made sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It’s all about mark-making and how a jumble of lines can suggest so much. Look at the facade of the building: it's not just a building, it's an atmosphere. The lines are so delicate, they almost vibrate. And the way he suggests the crowd below with just a few scribbles? Amazing! It's like he’s capturing the energy of the place, the hustle and bustle, with this incredible economy of means. Pennell’s etching reminds me of Whistler, another master of capturing the essence of a scene with minimal fuss. Both artists were interested in how to communicate an atmosphere through the simplest means, making the most of the conversation between the eye, the hand, and the printing plate. Art's an ongoing conversation, after all, full of echoes and whispers across time.