[Miscellaneous small sketches for inlaid table tops.] [Design with dancing couple motif 1930

Curator: This drawing by Winold Reiss, dating back to 1930, is actually a study. The full title is quite descriptive: "[Miscellaneous small sketches for inlaid table tops.] [Design with dancing couple motif]." It appears to be executed in watercolor and coloured pencil. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It's incredibly vibrant for a study! I'm drawn to the stylized figures and the almost geometric interpretation of their movement. It gives off a distinctly Art Deco feel, all about speed and modernity. Curator: Absolutely. The Art Deco influence is palpable, and if it was indeed a table top design, it’s important to see it in context, thinking about design and art meeting commercial possibilities and production processes of the era. These sorts of geometric, flattened figures were fashionable then in department stores. The use of watercolor also feels deliberate; inexpensive, quick, suitable for mass production if his design were selected. Editor: It certainly seems economical. Look at the deliberate outlines; the clear, delineated use of colour to suggest form without fussing over details. How does that geometry and those patterns play into its cultural moment, or what about its audience? Curator: Reiss came from Germany. But these are decidedly Jazz Age-era American subjects dancing. You’ve also got to consider the intended environment. As inlaid inlays, these designs were created to appeal to specific demographics and enhance modern spaces, whether in domestic interiors, jazz clubs, or hotels of the time, offering a glimpse into the recreational pursuits of urban life. So they suggest social and artistic aspiration hand-in-hand. Editor: It is also suggestive how casual Reiss's drawing seems to be - look there! tape and some notations at the lower end. We can be glad this vibrant, even energetic artifact survived as a witness, as a document of this period of design history, in this almost unfinished stage. Curator: Agreed. What remains most striking to me is how effectively Reiss blends what one might perceive as simple, material applications with his vision. The end result captures something so indicative of his time.