Joseph Pennell's Pictures in the Land of Temples: Reproductions of a Series of Lithographs Made by Him in the Land of Temples, March-June 1913, Together with Impressions and Notes by the Artist

In Short

This volume pairs forty lithographic prints by American artist Joseph Pennell with his personal journal entries and an introductory historical essay on classical architecture. Created between March and June of 1913, the works capture ancient Greek and Sicilian ruins, tracing the architectural legacy of the Doric order from Taormina and Girgenti to the Acropolis and Sunium. Pennell approaches these sites not as an archaeologist, but as a draftsman testing whether the achievements of antiquity surpass modern engineering. The book endures as a vivid record of early twentieth-century travel, artistic technique, and the enduring beauty of classical monuments.

The Story

The book opens in Sicily, where the artistic journey begins amid the coastal mists of Taormina. Pennell waits for the shroud of cloud to lift from Mount Etna, revealing the majestic backdrop of the ancient theatre. From there, the narrative moves across the island to Segesta, where an unfinished temple stands isolated above a rugged canyon, its un-fluted columns serving as a quiet testament to a civilization interrupted by sudden catastrophe. Continuing along the southern coast to Girgenti, the artist documents the long line of sacred structures built along the ancient city walls. He captures these monuments under shifting conditions: the sunrise breaking behind the Temple of Concord, the setting sun illuminating the shattered columns of the Temple of Juno, and the quiet harmony between level sea, land, and stone.

Leaving Sicily, the journey proceeds across the Italian mainland to Paestum, where morning mists enfold the massive Doric colonnades. The focus then shifts to the Greek heartland. At Corinth, the artist gazes up at the formidable Acrocorinthus rising nearly two thousand feet above the gulf, framing the distant, ghost-like peak of Parnassus. Moving inland to Olympia, the narrative explores the peaceful valley where ancient athletes once gathered for olive crowns, looking past tangled brush to trace the foundations of the Temple of Zeus and the Heræum beside the winding Alpheius River.

The climax of the tour centers on Athens and its surrounding sacred sites. Pennell charts the Acropolis from every perspective: the early morning sun striking the pediment of the Parthenon, the steep ascent up the remaining steps, the view down toward the Temple of Nike, and the dramatic contrast of a spring storm gathering behind the citadel. He captures the rhythm of modern Athenian life flowing around the ruins, observing local crowds gathering on Mars Hill during the feast of St. George.

Finally, the journey reaches the outer sanctuaries of Attica and the Greek islands. The narrative follows the Sacred Way to Eleusis, where only the ancient pavement remains of the mystery cults. It climbs the forested slopes of Aegina to view the isolated temple overlooking the sea, and travels to the mountain amphitheater of Delphi beneath the towering, light-reflected cliffs. The final visual image settles on Sunium, where the white columns of the Temple of Poseidon stand sentinel over the wine-dark sea, bringing the survey of the classical landscape to a resolute close.

How It Unfolds

The Sicilian approach The journey begins at Taormina and Segesta, where the artist waits out heavy coastal mists to draw Mount Etna framing the mountain theatre. He moves on to the remote canyon of Segesta, capturing the eerie solitude of an unfinished temple left behind by a forgotten civilization.

The walls of Girgenti Along the southern coast of Sicily, the sequence follows the great ridge of temples standing above the sea. The artist records the monuments across all hours, from sunrise behind the Temple of Concord to the fading light on the battered pillars of Juno.

Across Paestum and Corinth Crossing to the mainland, the tour passes through the morning fogs of Paestum before reaching the Isthmus of Corinth. Here, the massive rock of the Acrocorinthus dominates the landscape, offering sweeping views toward the distant mountains of central Greece.

The sanctuary of Olympia Navigating past overgrown hillsides, the journey documents the valley of the Alpheius River. The focus rests on the shattered remains of the Temple of Zeus at dusk, evoking the vanished gathering of ancient Hellenic athletes.

The heights of Athens The center of the work focuses entirely on the Acropolis and its immediate surroundings. Daily lithographs capture the first light touching the Parthenon, the steep climb through the Propylaea, and the vibrant crowds attending local religious festivals below Mars Hill.

The outer shrines The final sequence extends outward to Eleusis, the mountain forests of Aegina, the dramatic cliffs of Delphi, and the headland of Sunium. The trek concludes on the sun-beaten cliffs of Poseidon's temple, where white marble columns face the open sea.

The People

While the book primarily explores architectural landscapes, several distinct figures shape its narrative and thematic direction:

• Joseph Pennell: The American lithographer and author who travels through Greece and Sicily to capture ancient ruins on stone. Motivated by a desire to compare classical masterworks with modern industrial achievements—and spurred by a critic's claim that he was merely a "ragtime sketcher"—he seeks to record the proportion and setting of classical monuments in his own visual style.
• The Unnamed Introductory Scholar: The writer of the book's historical introduction, who provides a detailed architectural framework. He explains the evolution of the Doric order from wooden tree-trunk columns to stone, analyzing how ancient builders subtly curved lines and tilted pillars to achieve perfect visual balance.
• R. M. Dawkins: The late Director of the British School at Athens, to whom the volume is dedicated. He serves as a vital guide off-stage, directing the artist to the specific paths, headlands, and valley sites where the ancient temples remain best preserved.
• The Contemporary Travelers and Locals: A shifting cast of modern figures observed by the artist—including Sicilian onlookers watching from behind boulders, news-reading Greek citizens in Athens, and absent young men called away to war—who contrast sharply with the silent, ancient stones.

In Its Own Voice

"I went to Greece for two reasons. First, because I wanted to see Greece and what remained of her glory--to see if the greatest work of the past impressed me as much as the greatest work of the present--and to try to find out which was the greater--the more inspiring."

— The artist explains the core ambition behind his journey in the introductory note.

"And now for us Sunium is a white ghost like the light of the moon, the Parthenon a rose in decay."

— The introductory essay reflects on how time and weathering have transformed the painted marble of antiquity into evocative ruins.

"And Hiroshige and Claude and Turner never imagined or dreamt of anything so glorious--and I had it all to myself, for it was tea-time."

— Pennell notes his immediate reaction upon seeing Mount Etna emerge from the mist above Taormina.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the dynamic relationship between human construction and the natural world. It investigates how ancient Greek builders integrated their temples into specific landscapes, using geography, light, and proportion to elevate simple stone into transcendent art. Beyond mere aesthetics, the text wrestles with the nature of artistic legacy and decay. By contrasting the massive, enduring columns of antiquity with the fleeting presence of modern tourists and localized conflicts, the work examines what survives when a civilization vanishes. Pennell seeks to determine whether the functional, monumental power of classical design holds greater artistic truth than the industrial engineering of the twentieth century, ultimately finding that the ancient mastery of balance and restraint remains unmatched.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to readers fascinated by art history, classical architecture, and early twentieth-century travel writing. It offers a rare, unvarnished look at famous archaeological sites just before the advent of modern mass tourism, capturing a quiet Mediterranean landscape where solitary artists could spend days uninterrupted among the stones.

Reading the book feels like taking a leisurely, reflective walking tour alongside a sharp-eyed observer who refuses to indulge in grandiloquent prose or dry academic jargon. Pennell's commentary is candid, often humorous, and remarkably direct, balancing profound visual appreciation with pragmatic observations about bad weather, tired feet, and local distractions.

The primary difficulty for contemporary readers lies in the book's fragmented layout, as brief artist notes alternate with extended historical commentary on Greek history, architectural terms, and untranslated Latin or Greek phrases. Yet, what stays with the reader is the striking clarity of vision—the sense that despite centuries of war, earthquake, and decay, the deliberate geometry of a Doric column against the sea still has the power to command absolute silence.