Rouen, from Bon Secours 1907

Here’s Joseph Pennell’s etching, made of thin deliberate lines; he is showing us a view of Rouen from Bon Secours. I can see him there, squinting, holding his etching needle, trying to capture the sweep of the town, the river, and the sky all at once. There’s so much to describe in this scene, but Pennell just uses these lines to give us the bare bones of it all. What I find really interesting is how he manages to make everything feel so airy and light with such dark lines, as though the sun is beating down on the town, even though it is made of black ink. It reminds me of some drawings by Whistler, where the artist captures a sense of place through an economy of mark making. It’s like Pennell is whispering a secret about Rouen, inviting us to lean in and listen closely.