Door Stop c. 1940

Editor: Here we have Milton Grubstein's *Door Stop* from around 1940. It's a lovely, rather detailed graphite drawing on paper. The eagle feels so stoic, so firmly planted. I’m struck by the contrast between the heavy subject matter and the lightness of the pencil strokes. What jumps out at you when you look at it? Curator: Oh, absolutely! It reminds me of those chunky plaster eagle sculptures popular during that era. Grubstein really captures that Depression-era aesthetic, a kind of defiant hope rendered in the humblest of materials – graphite on paper. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, if he was just killing time or dreaming of soaring above it all himself. Look at how he suggests the weight and texture. It’s a subtle trompe-l'œil, no? Editor: Yes, definitely! And the eagle feels so…present. Not in a menacing way, more like a solid guardian. I didn’t know they had it in plaster back then. Was the graphite the popular medium to do realism in this particular era? Curator: Graphite allowed artists a realism without the financial burdens or mess of oils, but with the opportunity of playing with value contrast similar to painting techniques. And, you see the way the artist built it layer upon layer to add depth with shadows? What do you get from that detail? Editor: I see how meticulous this piece really is! Also the texture, which is impressive! I feel like the artist spent a lot of time building the depth there. Curator: Precisely! He really seemed to take pride in such a utilitarian subject. Perhaps finding beauty in the everyday object during hard times was a worthwhile pursuit, like trying to nail down something truly meaningful. Editor: So, this exercise almost transformed a simple item into a sign of bigger ambitions, through a graphite drawing. That's kind of neat! I would've easily walked past that work otherwise! Curator: Isn't that the magic of art, though?