Door Knocker c. 1939

Joseph Stonefield made this drawing of a door knocker with graphite on paper. I imagine him carefully rendering the texture of the metal, using varying pressures to create depth. I can almost feel the weight of the knocker in my hand. It’s like holding a piece of history, an object that has announced countless visitors. I wonder what it might have been like for Stonefield to render the intricate floral design, the play of light on the metal's surface, the careful patterning? Maybe he was thinking about craftsmanship, about the anonymous artisans who created objects that blend function and beauty. His drawing reminds me of the precise studies artists make to understand form, line, and tone. It’s part technical drawing, part meditation on the everyday. Artists like Stonefield remind us that everything we make carries meaning and embodies the traces of human touch.