Eleusis, the Pavement of the Temple 1913

Joseph Pennell made this drawing of Eleusis, the Pavement of the Temple, with graphite, charcoal, and crayon on paper. The steps in the foreground lead your eye towards the ruins. You can almost feel the history in the rough marks on the stone. I wonder what it was like for him standing there, looking out at the same view we are now. He must have felt like he was transported back in time to ancient Greece. Pennell's marks are quick but intentional, and they communicate feeling, intention, and meaning. The heaviness of the sky looms above and the temple is drawn with a lot of dark shading. It adds to the sense of history and time passing. He was probably interested in the play of light and shadow on the ancient ruins. Like so many artists before and after him, Pennell was inspired by what had come before. He reinterprets tradition and expresses it in his own way. Isn't that what art is all about?