Leadenhall Market, II 1903

Here's Joseph Pennell's Leadenhall Market, made around 1903. Look at the network of lines, how they create a feeling of depth and movement. It makes me wonder, what was it like for Pennell, standing there, etching this scene? I imagine the challenge of capturing the market's energy, all those people bustling about. The architecture looms so large, yet those tiny figures give scale. Notice how the light falls, hitting certain spots, leaving others in shadow. There's real drama in the contrast. Pennell did a lot of these city scenes, and you can see him really playing with the etching technique. The crisp line of the architecture makes me think of Piranesi, but looser, more immediate somehow. I think artists have always looked at each other’s work that way, riffing and responding across time. It’s like we’re all talking to each other through our art, a never-ending conversation.