Library and Office Building of Salman Schocken, Jerusalem, Israel, Elevations
Erich Mendelsohn
American, born Germany (now Poland). 1887–1953
Unknown
A pair of tentative elevation studies, drawn in graphite and color pencil on tracing paper, showing a compact two‑story library‑office and exploring window rhythm, entrance placement, and its low‑walled siting beside a tall cypress.
What strikes you is the economy of the lines—the repeated façade rendered twice with slight variation, penciled proportions and notes, and a large sweeping arc that visually connects the studies, all giving the sense of a design idea being tested on the page.
The drawing shows Mendelsohn’s practical translation of European modernist clarity into a modest civic building and is part of the wider story of how streamlined, functionalist architecture was adapted and introduced into Jerusalem in the 20th century.
Medium
Graphite and color pencil on tracing paper
Dimensions
8 x 14 1/8" (20.3 x 35.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Milton Sheingarten
Accession
87.2000
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
