Down Sansom Street 1912

Joseph Pennell made this lithograph "Down Sansom Street" back in 1912. Imagine him standing there, charcoal in hand, sketching the scene before him! I love how the dark, smudgy marks create such atmosphere, like the city itself is exhaling. You can almost feel the rumble of traffic and hear the distant chatter of people going about their day. He's captured the grit and the grandeur of urban life, all in one go. Pennell's economy of line reminds me of Whistler, but there's something uniquely his in the way he focuses on the architectural elements and the play of light and shadow. You know, every time I look at a piece like this, I'm reminded that artists are always building on what came before, riffing on each other's ideas. It's like a visual conversation that stretches across time.