Restoration Drawing Wall Painting and Door, Facade Mission House
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.7 x 24.2 cm (14 1/16 x 9 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: Door: 6' x 3'6"
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5935
Art Historical Context
Created in 1941 by artist Cornelius Christoffels,Restoration Drawing: Wall and Door, Facade House* is a meticulous rendering from the Index of American (IAD), a landmark WPA-era project. This watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite work on paper (35.7 x 24.2 cm) captures vibrant details of a Mission-style facade, including a colorful wall painting and a grand wooden door measuring 6' x 3'6" in the original. Christoffels precise technique documents architectural elements inspired by early 20th-century Spanish Colonial Revival, evoking the sun-drenched missions of the American Southwest. The I...
About the Artist
Cornelius Christoffels
Cornelius Christoffels, born in the Netherlands on April 6, 1879, was a freelance artist known for landscape painting and commercial illustration. His early life and artistic training remain sparsely documented, with no records of specific teachers or art schools. In 1922, he immigrated to the United States, settling first in Los Angeles, California, where he built a career over many years creatin...