Bishops Walk, Ancon Hill, Panama
1912
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 23.5 × 31.2 cm (9 5/16 × 12 5/16 in.); Sheet: 27.5 × 43 cm (10 7/8 × 16 15/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
104188
Art Historical Context
Joseph Pennell's "Bishops Walk, Ancon Hill, Panama" offers a refined glimpse of a Panamanian landscape through the precise medium of etching. Created in 1912 on ivory laid paper, the work measures 23.5 by 31.2 centimeters in the plate and demonstrates Pennell's skill in capturing architectural and natural details with fine lines and depth. As an American printmaker active during the etching revival, he often documented places undergoing dramatic change. Etching's ability to produce delicate textures and subtle contrasts makes it ideal for evoking the winding paths and hillside views suggested...
About the Artist
Joseph Pennell · 1857–1926
Joseph Pennell (1857–1926) was born in Philadelphia to Quaker parents and displayed an early aptitude for drawing, finding solace in sketching amid a challenging childhood. He received initial drawing instruction from James R. Lambdin and his first etching lessons from Stephen Ferris in 1879. Pennell attended night classes at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art before studying at ...