The Erechtheum 1913

Joseph Pennell’s drawing depicts the Erechtheum, an ancient Greek temple on the Acropolis of Athens. Pennell, an American expatriate, sketched this image, using graphite, at some point between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Erechtheum's ruinous state and the rubble surrounding it underscores themes of time, decay, and perhaps even the decline of civilizations. In Pennell’s time, there was a growing fascination with classical antiquity as a source of cultural and artistic authority. The institutional history of archaeology as a discipline meant that people traveled to sites like the Acropolis to excavate and record ancient remains. Pennell was a renowned printmaker and illustrator. His images can be found in books, magazines, and journals of the period, bringing him widespread attention. Careful research into these publications can tell us more about the audience for images such as this one, and what it meant to disseminate them widely at this time. Ultimately, the meaning of art lies in its historical and social contexts.