Night - Queens- "Stop" 1934

James Penney created this intaglio print called "Night - Queens - "Stop"" sometime in the mid-twentieth century. I can just imagine Penney, maybe late at night, hunched over this plate, digging into the metal, trying to capture the feeling of a city at rest, but still buzzing with energy. I mean, look at the textures he coaxes out of the surface! From the brickwork of the buildings to the street signs, to the ghostly lights above, there's a real sense of place, and of atmosphere. What kind of mark is he using for the darkness? Penney wasn't just copying what he saw; he was feeling it, filtering it through his own experience. And there’s something kind of Hopper-esque about it, that focus on the loneliness and quiet drama of the everyday. I like to think they were kindred spirits, both drawn to the hidden stories in the urban landscape. It is an intimate record of one artist's encounter with the world.