Santa Maria La Blanca, Toledo
c. 1903
Medium
Oiled charcoal with erasing and stumping, heightened with touches of white gouache, on cream wove paper, perimeter mounted on off-white wood pulp laminate board
Dimensions
28.3 × 21.7 cm (11 3/16 × 8 9/16 in.)
Classification
charcoal
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
116004
Art Historical Context
Joseph Pennell's *Santa Maria La Blanca,* (c. 1903) captures the ethereal beauty of one of Spain's most treasured architectural gems: the 12th-century synagogue in Toledo, a rare surviving example of Mudéjar style blending Islamic, Christian, and Jewish influences. Pennell, a prominent American printmaker and illustrator active in the late 19 and early 20th, was renowned for his meticulous yet atmospheric depictions of global landmarks. Inspired by travels across Europe, he documented sites like this historic synagogue-turned-church with a keen eye for light, shadow, and architectural drama, a...
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 ...