Design drawings for Club Gallant project, New York, NY.] [Study for Club Gallant exterior 1919

Winold Reiss made this design drawing for the Club Gallant project in New York, and you can see how the repetition of shapes and colours builds up a rhythm across the facade. The limited palette of black, white, turquoise and red-orange creates a striking contrast on the page. The neat application of colour gives a sense of precision, but look closer and you can see where the artist has slightly strayed outside the lines of the geometric design! It's these little imperfections that I love; they show us the human touch in the work. The turquoise details really pop against the stark black and white, drawing the eye to the architectural motifs that crown each section. Reiss’s use of bold, graphic elements reminds me of Stuart Davis, another artist who found inspiration in the urban landscape. Like Davis, Reiss abstracts the world around him, transforming it into a dynamic composition of form and colour. But unlike Davis’s hectic and complicated designs, Reiss’s design gives off an almost serene feeling. I think it’s nice when art can embrace a bit of both.