Segovia c. 1903

Joseph Pennell’s drawing, Segovia, shows a landscape articulated in the most luscious charcoal. I can imagine Pennell working on this en plein air, balancing his easel on the rocks. Maybe the wind was blowing and he had to hold onto his hat while trying to capture the scene before him. The surface shimmers with powdery grays and blacks, and I see a range of marks, from soft smudges to sharp, deliberate lines. Notice how the light seems to emanate from the architecture atop the hill, as if Pennell were using the charcoal to chase the light as it flickered across the ancient stones. It reminds me of Piranesi’s etchings of Rome—both artists share this interest in the poetics of light, and how its absence or presence can evoke a range of emotions and atmospheres. Artists are always in conversation with one another across time, influencing and inspiring each other. Looking at this drawing, I'm struck by how a simple gesture with charcoal can speak volumes.