Entrance to the Canal from the Pacific 1912

Joseph Pennell made this drawing of the Entrance to the Canal from the Pacific sometime between 1857 and 1926, likely in pencil or charcoal. The sky’s built from these soft, smudgy lines, almost like he’s feeling his way through the atmosphere. Look at the way the dark, dense strokes of the mountain contrast with the light, airy touches forming the clouds. It’s like Pennell is exploring the weight and presence of the land against the ephemeral nature of the sky. The materiality of this piece is interesting; the paper seems to breathe, and the marks aren’t overworked. It reminds me a bit of Whistler’s atmospheric studies, or even some of the early Impressionist landscapes, where the focus is on capturing a fleeting moment in time, a specific quality of light and air. Art's like a big conversation, right? Pennell’s having his say, but he’s also listening to what others have said before him, and it all gets tangled up in this beautiful, ambiguous mess.