The Levee from Eads Bridge, St. Louis 1919

Joseph Pennell made 'The Levee from Eads Bridge, St. Louis' using graphite, and it’s all about the dance of the hand across the paper. It’s like watching someone think through drawing, you know? Pennell really digs into the nitty-gritty of the industrial scene, focusing on texture and form. There are these tiny marks, like little scribbles, that build up to make the buildings and bridges, creating a sense of depth and grit. Look at that smoke billowing from the factories; he captures it with the lightest touch, so ephemeral. Then, he digs into the shadows, making them dense and solid, which sort of grounds the whole scene. The whole thing reminds me of Piranesi, who was similarly obsessed with industrial form, and the way architecture shapes our world. It is a reminder that art isn’t about answers, but about opening up new questions, embracing the messy, beautiful, and endlessly fascinating conversation that art is.