Match Safe c. 1939

This drawing of a 'Match Safe' was made by Jack Staloff, though it's not dated. I can see a lot of care and attention has gone into recording this object. The grey pencil strokes almost feel like he’s coaxing the image from the page. You know, drawing like this reminds me of when I’m starting a painting. There’s this initial stage where you’re just trying to get something down, anything. You’re feeling your way through, trying to understand what the thing really is. I imagine Staloff studying the object, really looking at its form and details. What was it like to hold the real object in his hand, to feel its weight and texture? Maybe he was thinking about its history, who might have used it, the stories it could tell. There’s this real intimacy that comes through, like a quiet conversation between the artist and the object. It makes you think about the simple, everyday things around us and how they carry so much meaning and memory.