Grappling Hooks 1940

Alexander Anderson made this study of Grappling Hooks in 1948, and it's the kind of drawing that makes you think about how artists see the world. It's all about looking, really looking, and then trying to capture that on paper. There's something so satisfying about the way the artist has rendered this object. The brown ink wash is layered to give depth and form, and you can almost feel the weight of the metal. The texture isn't just suggested, it's built up with tiny, delicate strokes, like a topography of touch. The hooks reach out, and you can see how each one is individually rendered, with its own shadow and curve. I find myself wondering what kind of brush they used to make such a precise mark, it speaks to someone who has spent their life studying a subject and has grown very comfortable with the tools. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi's still lifes, the way he could make the most ordinary objects seem profound. I guess that's what art is all about, isn't it? Finding the extraordinary in the everyday.