Winold Reiss
Encyclopedia
F. Winold Reiss was a German-born American artist
and graphic designer
. He was born in Karlsruhe
, Germany
, the second son of Fritz Reiss (1857–1914) who was a well-known landscape artist. Reiss was a portraitist and his philosophy was that an artist must travel to find the most interesting subjects.
Reiss immigrated to America in 1913 and was captivated by Native Americans
. It was an interest and subject matter throughout his entire career. He was a success very early, lecturing before the Art Students League and even founding a publication, Modern Art Collector. He made over 250 paintings of Native Americans, especially the Blackfeet.
Reiss returned once to Germany in 1921 but only as a visit; coming once again to New York City in 1922.
Reiss also illustrated Alain Locke's The New Negro
, an important book about African American
culture.
His most outstanding commission was for the work performed on the Cincinnati Union Terminal (now known as the Cincinnati Museum Center) in 1933. He blended Art Deco
with portraiture which captured the history of Cincinnati through its people. Fourteen murals from the passenger concourse were removed to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
in 1973, where they can be seen by airport users.
Winold Reiss was a leader who devoted most of his life towards painting a much broader cross section of ethnic diversity in America, in a compassionate and objective manner, than any artist before him.
He died on August 29, 1953 in New York City. The Blackfeet spread his ashes along the eastern edge of Glacier National Park
.
. The lightness of style, use of grids, and gilded and highly colored panels echo more the Wiener Werkstätte
of Vienna than the Jugendstil of Munich. His design for the Busy Lady Baking Company on 3620 Broadway (at 149th Street), and one at 4230 Broadway in 1915 was very similar to the designs of Josef Hoffmann
and the Wiener Werkstätte. Viewing the development of Reiss's work through the various decades helps to establish the fact that the floral abstractions of the 1930's and the sparse geometry of the 1940's are coming directly from his early experience. His commissions were important ones and had an influence on American design and architecture.
Another of his noted interior designs was the Café Rumpelmayer in the Hotel St. Moritz in the 1930's.
and in Vienna, becoming an architect and working in the United States. He established the Reiss Partnership in 1996 to create a vehicle for fostering awareness of his father’s artistic legacy and to make it accessible to a broad public.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
. He was born in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the second son of Fritz Reiss (1857–1914) who was a well-known landscape artist. Reiss was a portraitist and his philosophy was that an artist must travel to find the most interesting subjects.
Biography
In his early years he traveled within Germany with his father who studied peasants of particular types that he wanted to draw or paint. This helped form many of Reiss' ideas about subject matter for portraiture.Reiss immigrated to America in 1913 and was captivated by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. It was an interest and subject matter throughout his entire career. He was a success very early, lecturing before the Art Students League and even founding a publication, Modern Art Collector. He made over 250 paintings of Native Americans, especially the Blackfeet.
Reiss returned once to Germany in 1921 but only as a visit; coming once again to New York City in 1922.
Reiss also illustrated Alain Locke's The New Negro
The New Negro
The New Negro: An Interpretation is an anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays on African and African American art and literature edited by Alain Locke, who lived in Washington, DC and taught at Howard University during the Harlem Renaissance...
, an important book about African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
culture.
His most outstanding commission was for the work performed on the Cincinnati Union Terminal (now known as the Cincinnati Museum Center) in 1933. He blended Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
with portraiture which captured the history of Cincinnati through its people. Fourteen murals from the passenger concourse were removed to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport , sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are...
in 1973, where they can be seen by airport users.
Winold Reiss was a leader who devoted most of his life towards painting a much broader cross section of ethnic diversity in America, in a compassionate and objective manner, than any artist before him.
He died on August 29, 1953 in New York City. The Blackfeet spread his ashes along the eastern edge of Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park may refer to:*Glacier National Park in British Columbia, Canada*Glacier National Park in Montana, USA-See also:*Glacier Bay National Park, in Alaska, USA*Los Glaciares National Park, in Argentina...
.
Architecture
His interior designs were influenced by the Vienna SecessionVienna Secession
The Vienna Secession was formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian artists who had resigned from the Association of Austrian Artists, housed in the Vienna Künstlerhaus. This movement included painters, sculptors, and architects...
. The lightness of style, use of grids, and gilded and highly colored panels echo more the Wiener Werkstätte
Wiener Werkstätte
Established in 1903, the Wiener Werkstätte was a production community of visual artists. The workshop brought together architects, artists and designers whose first commitment was to design art which would be accessible to everyone...
of Vienna than the Jugendstil of Munich. His design for the Busy Lady Baking Company on 3620 Broadway (at 149th Street), and one at 4230 Broadway in 1915 was very similar to the designs of Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann
Josef Hoffmann was an Austrian architect and designer of consumer goods.- Biography :...
and the Wiener Werkstätte. Viewing the development of Reiss's work through the various decades helps to establish the fact that the floral abstractions of the 1930's and the sparse geometry of the 1940's are coming directly from his early experience. His commissions were important ones and had an influence on American design and architecture.
Another of his noted interior designs was the Café Rumpelmayer in the Hotel St. Moritz in the 1930's.
Family
His son, Winold Tjark Reiss (born in Germany on December 27, 1913 - 2001) studied at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and in Vienna, becoming an architect and working in the United States. He established the Reiss Partnership in 1996 to create a vehicle for fostering awareness of his father’s artistic legacy and to make it accessible to a broad public.