Aegina 1913

This is "Aegina" by Joseph Pennell, its date is unknown and it’s an etching on paper. Look at the skeletal columns, emerging from the ruins. Imagine the artist, Pennell, standing there, squinting at the light, the oppressive heat beating down. You can almost feel the scratch of his needle as he etches the scene, guided by intuition, responding to the site before him, his own emotions charging the scene. The etched lines are so delicate and tangled, like memories half-forgotten, of the now ruined temple dedicated to the Greek goddess, Aphaea. Pennell's work makes me think of Piranesi's architectural fantasies or maybe some of the more surreal visions of de Chirico, where the past is a looming presence. Pennell, like so many artists, continues a dialogue across time, repurposing classical motifs, reanimating ruins. It’s an ongoing conversation, this dance between looking and making.