Door Knocker c. 1938

This is a drawing of a Door Knocker, made by Jack Staloff with graphite on paper. Look at the way Staloff builds up this image with lines and smudges; it's like he's feeling his way through the form. The texture here is all in the graphite. You can see the light reflecting off the shiny bits, and the darker parts where the graphite is built up. Staloff has managed to create depth and shadow with just a pencil, it is like he’s sculpting with tone. Notice the careful rendering of the leaves draping on either side of the knocker. There is a sense of weight, but also delicacy. This reminds me of the work of Piranesi, who also used drawing to capture the grandeur of architectural details. There's a conversation happening here across time. Art isn't about answers, it's about asking questions and keeping the dialogue going.