Building New York 1923

Curator: Joseph Pennell's 1923 etching, "Building New York," offers a glimpse into the city's relentless expansion, a moment captured on a metal plate with acid and ink. Editor: My initial thought is "fragmentation." The eye jumps between dense, almost scribbled details and broad planes, creating a somewhat anxious mood—fitting for a city undergoing such rapid transformation. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the materials themselves: metal, acid, ink—the very stuff of industrial progress mirroring the city’s construction. Pennell was fascinated by engineering feats, depicting the bare steel skeletons of skyscrapers. Look at the various layers and densities achieved through the etching process. Editor: This also brings into question the narratives being built. There's the architecture itself—symbols of capital and power, of course—but the profusion of advertisement billboards points to a changing society shaped by mass consumerism and even artistic and theatrical displays in New York. Who benefited, and who was left behind in this "building" process? The labor that physically created this space... were they a part of this vision of modern America? Curator: The labor of printmaking, though, has to be considered in this discussion as well: the physical work to manipulate tools like needles and presses... Consider that Pennell wasn’t just depicting progress but actively participating in an artistic movement celebrating the modern, industrial world through meticulous handmade craft. Editor: But is he celebrating uncritically? The chaotic composition, the claustrophobic feel... doesn’t it hint at the disorienting effect of this relentless modernization? The lack of human figures amidst this urban eruption emphasizes a feeling of alienation and marginalization of the working people who did all the manual construction work. Curator: You make a powerful point. The contrast is striking, the absence looms large, revealing the social fabric that underpinned this metropolis. It prompts one to wonder how we define progress, then and now. Editor: Exactly! Reflecting on this etching really drives home the complexity of progress, the layered stories, the voices often unheard amidst the noise. Curator: Indeed—"Building New York" gives an opportunity to examine both the surface and structural framework of a particular place at a particular moment in time, while giving us clues to the human processes that contributed to its manifestation.