The Towering City, Toledo c. 1903

Curator: Ah, yes, “The Towering City, Toledo,” circa 1903, by Joseph Pennell. A drawing utilizing chalk and charcoal on paper, currently residing here at the Art Institute of Chicago. It's quite striking, isn't it? Editor: Towering indeed. It looms, almost menaces. I get a gothic fairytale vibe, those spiky towers stabbing the sky. What do you make of the tonal range, from almost nothing to quite dark? Curator: The sharp contrasts enhance the hierarchical arrangement. Notice how Pennell uses light and shadow not merely to depict form but to articulate power and the relationship between the city above and the path below, which serves as the perspectival guide for the eye. Editor: It almost feels propagandistic, which makes me squirm. I get that cities evoke power structures, but the blatant foregrounding of shadow makes it so intense. Almost a warning: behold the city, tiny mortal. Curator: The interplay, precisely. The dark tones at the base ground the composition, lending a tangible weight while, simultaneously, serving as a counterpoint to the city's aspiration. The textural variation further reinforces this contrast. Editor: Do you think he meant the shadows to feel ominous? Because that's definitely my read. Or is this me projecting contemporary anxieties onto a lovely, albeit hierarchical, historical landscape? Curator: Intent is slippery territory, of course. I find the rigorous articulation of forms more intriguing. Observe how he uses line to differentiate material surfaces: the smoothness of the road contrasting with the rough texture of the stone structures above. This emphasizes materiality. Editor: So, you see formal choices instead of ominous shadows! That's amazing, really. The city still feels unreachable and untouchable to me. I love art, and even with an academic explanation the piece evokes deep, complex feelings. Curator: And that is the pleasure of returning to works such as Pennell’s—to engage with their formal nuances, and our felt, deeply human experience. Editor: Yeah. Even when it gives me the chills, looking into the shadows of old cities. Thanks for pointing out the ways the piece resonates.