Stairway and Hall, Hotel Del Coronado 1935 - 1942

Perkins Harnly’s watercolour and graphite work captures the stairway and hall of the Hotel Del Coronado, inviting us into a meticulously rendered interior space. I can just imagine Harnly, perched somewhere in this grand hotel, with his pencils and paints, patiently mapping out the scene. Look at the intricate wallpaper, the play of light on the polished wooden columns, and the quirky placement of objects like the vacuum cleaner and that dragon vase. It's like he’s inviting us to construct our own narratives around it. There’s something almost dreamlike about the rendering – a hyper-real yet slightly off-kilter depiction that resonates with artists like Fairfield Porter and Giorgio de Chirico. The materiality of the watercolor is fascinating. It’s so precise and controlled. What was he thinking when he decided to include the everyday objects? Perhaps Harnly was hinting at the unseen labor that upholds the hotel’s grandeur. I love the way he lets these peculiar details disrupt the calm, creating a space for personal interpretation.