De windmolens 1880 - 1926

Joseph Pennell made this etching titled ‘De Windmolens’, but when? It looks like he's using the etching needle like a pencil, right? A whole world conjured out of delicate lines, like whispers on paper. I love the water in this piece, so calm it is like a mirror reflecting the industrial scene back to itself. Look at the ways he uses the lines to create the illusion of depth and texture – that part is just amazing. And the sky, that looming sky, it feels both ominous and beautiful. Those windmills dominating the horizon, they become almost monumental. Thinking of other artists who played with similar themes of industry and landscape, maybe the Futurists come to mind. But where they celebrated the dynamism of the machine, Pennell seems more interested in capturing a mood, a moment in time. A conversation across time and mediums, that’s what art is, isn’t it?