Cast Iron Cresting c. 1936

Samuel Faigin rendered this ‘Cast Iron Cresting’ with graphite and gouache, and it feels like a warm memory. You know, you can almost smell the metal shop, can't you? There's something about the patina he’s captured that speaks to the history of labor and craft. I imagine him sketching, pausing, and then returning to the page with a keen eye. The color is muted – just brown on off-white – but the details in the cresting speak volumes about the architectural landscape of his time. Those graceful curves, the decorative flourish at the top, and the bolted additions... You see echoes of art nouveau but it's not quite that. It's like Faigin is having a conversation with past ironworkers, admiring their artistry while adding his own voice to the dialogue. It makes you wonder about the buildings this cresting adorned, the stories they hold, and the lives that unfolded within their walls.