Panels from Rail Car Interiors

These Panels from Rail Car Interiors were made by William A. Kropp, presumably as designs or studies for actual panels in trains. The palette here is simple: browns and tans with the grain of the wood rendered with fine hatching and blended strokes. Look at the way the fern in the panel almost strains against its enclosure, the ends of each frond touching or nearly touching the edges, so that the image feels barely contained. Kropp’s technique shows us how to transform raw materials into a harmonious composition. Notice how the texture of the wood frame contrasts with the smooth, flat surface of the stylized fern panel. The artist’s hand is evident in the details, from the subtle variations in the wood grain to the precise rendering of the fern’s delicate structure. Kropp’s work is like that of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, with his stylized natural forms and concern for the decorative arts. Ultimately, art is a conversation, and this panel invites us to join in, to see, feel, and think about the world in new ways.