Andiron (one of pair) c. 1939

This "Andiron," one of a pair, was made by Jack Staloff, on an unknown date, with graphite on paper. It's a drawing of something functional, and I am immediately interested in the shift of contexts and the way that the mundane can become interesting. I love the gradations of gray; the surface looks worn and matte, like it's been sitting around for ages. The careful rendering with graphite gives it a tangible presence, almost like you could reach out and touch the cool, rough texture of the metal. If you look closely at the top of the vertical support, you can see the artist has taken real care to capture the light as it falls on the geometric planes of the decorative head, giving volume to the image. It reminds me of the drawings of Jasper Johns or the etchings of Giacometti, where ordinary objects take on a kind of totemic significance through close observation and attention to detail. Art is a conversation across time. The ordinary can be extraordinary if you just look closely.