Westminster, Evening 1909

Joseph Pennell made this moody aquatint called Westminster, Evening sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. What do you reckon Pennell was thinking, wandering around London at night? It’s easy to imagine the scene, all dark, and damp, as he scratches away at the plate with his tools. There’s something about the way the lights are blurred that feels like a dream, like when you’re walking around a city that isn’t quite yours. The image has a real painterly quality. The details are pretty vague, and indistinct, but that works in its favour. You get this sense of atmosphere rather than any real sense of place. I like the way Pennell has kept it simple, boiling it down to just a few tones. The darkness and light feel very contemporary. It's like he was hanging out with Whistler, or maybe even Rothko! Artists are always bouncing ideas off each other, even across time. And that’s what painting is all about. It’s an ongoing conversation, full of questions, not answers.