Fonte Nuova, Siena 1883

Curator: Before us we have Joseph Pennell’s 1883 etching, titled “Fonte Nuova, Siena,” now part of the collection here at the Art Institute of Chicago. It depicts a landscape with architectural elements rendered with incredible detail in black and white. Editor: It’s instantly transporting, isn’t it? I mean, I’m here, but my mind is wandering along those old stones and sun-drenched walls in Italy! There's this immediate sense of timelessness—or maybe elegant decay is a better description. Curator: Pennell was certainly captivated by the romantic aesthetic of the Italian Renaissance and the historical weight evident even then. These arched ruins, partly overgrown, serve as symbols of a rich past blending into the everyday life in Siena. It represents resilience but also adaptation, where old infrastructure serves new social realities. Editor: I love that idea. I wonder if he positioned himself exactly there on purpose, you know? Those arches seem like ancient eyes looking back at us from across the centuries, framed so deliberately. They give this impression of depth that leads into the Italian atmosphere that Pennell conjures. What's interesting about its composition is the perspective he chooses: it places this historic structure right in the heart of everyday life. I feel drawn in not only visually, but also culturally and historically. Curator: Notice too, the sky’s absence of detail, how that space contributes to the sharp focus below. Editor: Good observation, it highlights the manmade structures. He lets the stone and human presence speak for themselves. I also like to imagine what this looked like in colour: can you believe that even something rendered so monochromatically has a sense of light and shade. Curator: Yes, Pennell plays with that light and shade to evoke emotion; using dark etched lines against the light of the paper to deepen the feelings. Editor: And so effectively, capturing a fragment of time! Thinking about this drawing now, its value extends beyond aesthetics. It reminds us about appreciating what has remained standing, how buildings persist as witnesses through time and continue to influence people centuries later. Curator: A perfect summation! "Fonte Nuova, Siena," becomes more than a depiction of a landscape, it speaks to enduring histories. Editor: And how architecture can be seen through memory and how humans reshape a site and culture—quite a message from a black and white print!