Steam Shovel at Work in Culebra Cut 1912

Joseph Pennell made this print of a steam shovel at work with ink on paper. The drawing has a really restless energy, you can see the lines are scratchy, like he’s really digging in. You can almost feel the vibration of the earth being moved. He’s used these rapid, short marks to give us all the details, from the rocky walls of the Culebra Cut, to the plumes of smoke rising from the machinery. Look at how he’s described the rocks on the left, all these tiny lines layered on top of each other, building up a sense of depth and texture. It's like he's trying to capture not just the look, but the feeling of this massive construction project. This reminds me of the futurist’s love of industry and machinery. You see that in Marinetti's manifestos, as well as in paintings by people like Boccioni or Severini, who were also trying to capture movement and energy in their work, though with very different techniques. So, is it about the glorification of progress, or about the relentless force of the modern age? Maybe it’s both, or neither!