Furnaces at Night 1916

Joseph Pennell made this print, "Furnaces at Night," using lithography, a process where the artist draws on a stone or metal plate. Pennell's mark-making is all about atmosphere. See how he builds up the smoke and the industrial haze with these scratchy, almost frantic lines? It's like he's trying to capture not just what he sees, but the feeling of being there, the grit and heat of it all. The texture here is key. Look at the way the dark ink almost seems to crumble and dissolve into the paper, especially in the upper part of the image. That one bright spot near the top, is it the moon? It's so rough and uneven, it's like the whole scene is barely holding itself together. It reminds me a little of Piranesi and his dark, brooding cityscapes. And like Piranesi, Pennell lets us feel the weight of these massive structures, the energy, and maybe a little bit of the dread. It's a conversation about progress, industry, and what it costs us.