Tracks, Oberhausen 1910

Joseph Pennell made this image of Oberhausen with a printmaking technique. I like how the composition of the scene is built around the railway tracks and the train. This must have been an exciting subject for Pennell, and I am keen to know why he wanted to capture it. It feels like he noticed something special about the tracks themselves. I imagine him there, etching away at the plate, capturing not just the scene but also the feeling of the place. The smoke is kind of ominous, but is it pretty too? You can see how the steam rises above the tracks, as if to draw a line in the air. This piece makes me think about the ways artists find beauty in unexpected places, and how their work can help us see the world a little differently.