Design sketches for Hotel Alamac, 71st and Broadway, New York, NY.] [Sketch for Medieval Grill Murals 1923

Winold Reiss sketched these designs for the Hotel Alamac murals with graphite on paper, though when, we don't know. Look at the way the artist used simple tools to carve out such theatrical figures. There’s this guy, looks like a harlequin, decked out in diamonds, with a really intense expression, caught mid-gesture, and a whole cast of smaller characters lurking behind. The pencil work is so varied, hatching and cross-hatching giving depth, while other areas are left open, raw. Then there’s that zany zigzag pattern on the side, setting the stage, or maybe it’s just the wallpaper. It all feels very Bauhaus, very German Expressionist, like a scene from some avant-garde cabaret. The bold geometry, the stark contrasts, it’s all about making a statement, creating a world that’s both playful and profound. You could put it next to a Kirchner and see the family resemblance. Art, after all, is just one big conversation across time and place.