A Gate of Segovia c. 1903

Joseph Pennell made this lithograph, A Gate of Segovia, at an unknown date using lithographic crayon and ink. The image has an exploratory quality, a sense of being both solid and dissolving into shadow, which feels very immediate. The smudgy, almost velvety texture of the lithographic crayon gives the scene a dreamlike quality. Look at the contrast between the rough, dark strokes used for the foliage on the left and the smoother, more blended tones of the gate itself. Pennell coaxes a full range of values from a relatively simple palette, and the use of light and shadow makes the architectural forms both imposing and ethereal. The gateway beckons you, but its meaning remains open, a place of transition and possibility. Whistler’s influence is clear, but Pennell brings his own energy to this depiction. Art is all about these conversations across time, each artist responding to and building upon what came before.