Corinth, towards the Gulf 1913

Joseph Pennell made this drawing, Corinth, towards the Gulf, with graphite on paper. I imagine him, with the sun beating down, squinting and trying to capture the enormity of the ancient temple. Look at how he's built up the image through many small strokes; there's a real sense of touch and texture. It's like he’s trying to rebuild Corinth on paper. He painstakingly renders the site, with all the columns and steps. I wonder if he thought about how it felt to be there? How small one feels up against all that history. It reminds me a little of Piranesi, all that obsessive detail. You can feel Pennell's struggle to get it right. It’s kind of beautiful, this act of trying. And isn’t that what drawing and painting are all about?