Susent from Williamsburg Bridge 1915

Joseph Pennell made this print of the Williamsburg Bridge, and the East River in New York using etching, and drypoint. I love the almost tonal quality he coaxes from the build-up of fine, dark lines. You can imagine him drawing and redrawing, each line a search for form. The scene feels both solid and ephemeral. The density in the sky feels like a mass of energy, maybe about to dissolve the city completely. I wonder if Pennell was thinking of Whistler's moody Thames scenes when he made this. There's a similar interest in capturing the atmosphere of a place, the feeling of being there at a specific moment in time. You can feel the city’s pulse in this image. Artists are always looking at each other, borrowing, and responding. Making art is one way of feeling connected to the world and to other artists across time.