Winold Reiss (1886–1953)

FRITZ WILHELM WINOLD REISS (1886–1953)

Untitled
Watercolor on paper, 30 x 21 7/8 in.

EX COLL.: the artist; to his estate, until the present

The present watercolor is a fine example of Reiss’s accessible abstraction. The design of swirling, curvilinear lines suggests a reading of landscape with areas of sky, clouds, trees, hills, and water. Of course, this is not a landscape, but a demonstration of our human impulse to assemble visual cues into understandable forms. In this sense, Reiss’s picture is a true abstraction, deconstructing known information into components of line, space, and color. In keeping with Reiss’s aesthetic, it is also inviting, pleasing to look at with its repeating rhythmic lines enlivened with celebratory color.