where his father would have been described as ruddy-faced , his cheeks pinpricked with red maculae from a lifetimes exposure to the fierce , equatorial sun ; the perpetual erubescence of his expression a physical manifestation of the hot blood and emotion that pumped so passionately in his veins , his sons colouring was a reflection of the subdued walls of his private chambers and of the clouded new york winter sky and the sidewalks kept in eternal shadow by the towering office blocks and massive skyscrapers rising high above them .