Segnavento ornamentale
c. 1938
Long before he became the legendary architect of the Glass House, Philip Johnson was dabbling in sleek modernist design. This striking rendering depicts a prancing horse weather vane finial, painted in metallic bronze tones that make the animal look like a solid sculpture ready to be mounted on a roof. The horse's elegant, streamlined body captures the sophisticated aesthetic of the late 1930s, while the bold, dark abstract shape in the upper corner adds a graphic punch that screams 'modern art.'