Amiens 1907

Joseph Pennell created this etching titled "Amiens." The image shows a cathedral viewed through a body of water and surrounding trees. The subtle monochromatic palette creates a sense of quiet contemplation. Pennell's use of line is striking; he employs dense, rhythmic marks in the foreground to indicate the grassy banks, and then transitions to delicate, broken lines for the cathedral in the distance. These compositional choices—the contrast between the intricate detail of the building and the more freely rendered natural elements—creates a powerful spatial dynamic. The mirroring of the cathedral in the water functions as a visual signifier, reflecting the doubling and mirroring so central to structuralist thought. Through his emphasis on line and form, Pennell invites us to consider not just the image of Amiens, but the structural relationships that define how we perceive and interpret the world around us.