Niagara Rainbows 1910

Joseph Pennell made this etching, Niagara Rainbows, using an etching needle to draw through a waxy ground on a metal plate, which was then dipped in acid. The etched lines are like scratches, right? Look at the falls themselves, all that delicate cross-hatching. You can almost hear the roar. Pennell is doing something interesting here, using these really controlled, almost architectural marks to depict the sublime, chaotic power of nature. I love how he captures the mist. It's almost like the paper is glowing from within. And then you have the sharp, precise lines of the built environment alongside it, like he’s showing the clash between man and nature. It makes me think of Whistler, who also played with these contrasts between industrial grit and delicate beauty. It's a conversation, always a conversation, this art thing.