The Zocodover, Toledo c. 1903

Joseph Pennell made this etching of The Zocodover in Toledo. Look at how Pennell teases out a picture using the most economical marks; there’s no excess here. I get the feeling he really knew his tools, and how to get them to sing! Up close, the building on the right is fascinating – you can see how he’s used tight hatching to describe the textures of the stone, and then a kind of smudgy wash for the cloudy sky above. It reminds me of Piranesi’s architectural prints. Pennell has really captured a sense of place with such an economy of means. Like Whistler, Pennell was interested in capturing the atmosphere of a city through printmaking. And like Whistler, he embraced the idea of art for art’s sake. Both artists are proof that the most important thing is how you say something, not what you say!