Design for Figures of Music Building, New York World’s Fair, 1939.] [Elevation detail 1938

Editor: This drawing by Winold Reiss, "Design for Figures of Music Building, New York World’s Fair, 1939" from 1938, uses ink on paper and is bathed in blue. I find the image both classical and futuristic – the winged figure feels ancient, but the geometric forms hint at modernism. What strikes you most about its imagery? Curator: The immediate symbolic language evokes classical mythology, doesn’t it? The winged figure suggests Nike, the goddess of victory, or perhaps an angel of inspiration. Yet, she’s perched atop a loudspeaker from which musical notes cascade. Does this juxtaposition speak to the power of music to elevate, to inspire triumph, maybe even… to persuade? Editor: Persuade? That's interesting. The fair was a moment of projecting future visions. Curator: Precisely! Consider the context: the 1939 World's Fair was themed "The World of Tomorrow." Reiss's design seems to fuse the enduring power of music—the face evokes theatrical masks—with technological progress. The cool, blue tones reinforce a sense of technological advancement, distancing the work from warmth of human experience, like an engineer's blueprint. Do you think the limited palette adds to or detracts from the symbolic resonance? Editor: I see what you mean. The blue gives it that blueprint feel, very technical and forward-looking, but also somewhat distant. It almost drains some of the emotion out of it. The mask and the musical notes seem a little bit lifeless. Curator: But does the mask’s lifelessness amplify its meaning? A face with no discernible ethnicity representing ‘Music’, a universal language? Perhaps Reiss sought to portray music as something beyond the individual, an objective, transcendent force shaping the “World of Tomorrow.” Editor: That's a powerful interpretation. It’s fascinating how the color choice and the historical context interact to give the piece such complex meaning. Curator: Indeed. The power of images lies not just in what is depicted but also in how those depictions resonate within a specific cultural and historical framework.