Slave Collar c. 1937

Al Curry made this watercolor and graphite rendering of a slave collar sometime in the 20th century. Just imagine Curry, in front of this thing—maybe in a museum, or some archive, or maybe it was just in his house. I’m wondering what Curry was thinking about while he was drawing it. The actual weight, the rust, the awful sound of the bells, letting everyone know where you are, all the time. What to do with something like this? He could try to draw it as it is, or maybe he could turn it into something else through his drawing. I wonder if Curry felt a need to somehow, transform the object, and change its meaning? That’s what painting can do. I bet it gave him, and gives us, something to think about.