Building the Bridge 1915

Joseph Pennell made this work, Building the Bridge, with pencil on paper. I can imagine Pennell finding the scene that he wanted to draw, maybe walking around the construction site, looking for the perfect angle. The marks are quick, sharp, angular. The crane is above the bridge with a little figure in it. Imagine the perspective of the person in the crane. Everything feels like it's in motion, not just the bridge being built but also the train that is passing by underneath. Pennell also drew smoke emerging from the chimneys of the buildings in the background. What I love about this drawing is how well it shows the intense labor and construction of the bridge. In his time, Pennell was really interested in architecture and the built environment, so this piece fits in nicely with that. Like the futurist painters, he’s excited by progress and new technologies. It reminds me of some of the social realist painters like Diego Rivera, who were also interested in labor and industry. I feel like these artists are all in conversation.