Gleisdreieck 1921

Joseph Pennell made this drawing, Gleisdreieck, with pencil, and you can feel the artist searching for the scene through a flurry of marks. Look at the surface: it's a dance of lines, hatching and cross-hatching, that build up this industrial landscape. I imagine Pennell standing there, maybe a little cold, squinting at this jumble of train tracks, bridges, and buildings. He’s trying to make sense of it all, to capture the energy of this place with just a few lines. I can see him, his hand moving quickly, almost nervously, trying to get it all down before the light changes, or a train rumbles by. The lines create a sense of depth, like you could walk right into the drawing and get lost in the maze of metal and steam. The artist shows us how the world looks, but also how it feels. Pennell is having a conversation with the industrial revolution and inviting us to listen.