Acro, Corinth from Corinth 1913

Joseph Pennell made this drawing of Acro, Corinth, using what looks like graphite or charcoal. See how the marks aren’t blended so much as layered? It gives everything a slightly crumbly, unstable feeling, which is interesting when you think about the subject. The texture is so present. It's all about the surface—the rough stone of the ruins, the scrubby ground, and the coarse shading of the sky. I like the way the artist has activated the surface with the side of the graphite, giving a sense of atmospheric perspective. Take a closer look at the dark patch in the foreground. It anchors the whole image and allows our eye to travel back through the scene. Pennell reminds me a little of Piranesi, who also drew lots of ruins, but I feel like Pennell has a lighter touch. It’s almost as if he’s saying, “Here’s what’s left, make of it what you will." And that's what's so cool about art: it invites you to dream.