Artwork
Ready to Start
Ready to Start is an ink print by Joseph Pennell. It dates from 1917 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Small aircraft hover in the distant sky, underscoring the juxtaposition of antiquated maritime power with emerging aerial technology.
Joseph Pennell’s 1917 lithograph *Ready to Start* presents a massive, decommissioned vessel beached amid a network of railway tracks, its towering masts and rigging rendered in loose, gestural lines. Small aircraft hover in the distant sky, underscoring the juxtaposition of antiquated maritime power with emerging aerial technology. The composition captures a moment of transition, emphasizing scale and industrial atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The work juxtaposes an obsolete sailing ship with modern locomotion and flight, suggesting the shift from sea‑based commerce to rail and air transport in the early twentieth century. By placing the hulking hull on dry ground, Pennell highlights the obsolescence of traditional shipbuilding while hinting at the forward momentum of industrial progress.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the image relies on swift, expressive strokes that convey the enormity of the vessel and the curvature of the tracks. Pennell’s handling of line and tone creates a sense of immediacy, while the contrast between the dense, dark outlines of the ship and the lighter, airy depiction of the airplanes reflects his background in etching and illustration.
History & Provenance
Pennell, an American trained under James Lambdin and Thomas Eakins, spent much of his career abroad, absorbing European industrial scenery. Influenced by James McNeill Whistler, he applied a tonal sensibility to his prints. *Ready to Start* emerged during World War I, a period when the artist’s focus on modern infrastructure and transportation was particularly resonant.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Pennell (July 4, 1857 – April 23, 1926) was an American draftsman, etcher, lithographer, and illustrator for books and magazines.
