The Urns, Casting Big Shells 1916

'The Urns, Casting Big Shells' by Joseph Pennell is all about mark-making, a symphony of light and shadow sketched with graphite, maybe even charcoal. I can imagine the artist standing there, feeling the immensity of the factory, and trying to capture the way the light filters through the girders and illuminates the huge urns. I wonder what Pennell was thinking about as he worked? Maybe he felt small against the backdrop of industry, or maybe he was in awe of human innovation. See how he uses these tight, controlled lines to describe the locomotive, the huge metal forms and how that contrasts with the loose scumbling of the shadows? It's almost like he’s pitting man against machine, or progress against the past. This piece reminds me of the industrial scenes of the Ashcan School artists, but with a quieter, more contemplative mood. There's a real sense of humanity and seeing and feeling and trying to transcribe those feelings. Artists are always in dialogue, riffing off each other, pushing and pulling at the edges of what's possible.