Flatiron Building 1904

Joseph Pennell made this print of the Flatiron Building with etching on paper. What gets me is how the light seems to both reveal and dissolve the building at the same time. The density of marks increases towards the top, which is kind of counter-intuitive, and makes the building appear to fade upwards. Pennell's marks are like nervous energy. See the soft, almost scribbled lines that give the building its shape? They remind me of Cy Twombly's work—all about gesture and the feel of the moment. It’s not just a building; it's a felt experience. I particularly like how he renders the sky and the bustling street scene at the bottom, the marks are loose and undefined which gives the sense of a fleeting moment captured in time. I'm reminded of Whistler, with his subtle tones and focus on atmosphere. Like Whistler, Pennell seems less interested in exact representation and more in capturing an impression, a mood. Art isn't about fixed meanings, it's about the conversation between the artist, the subject, and us.