Door Knocker c. 1936

Jack Staloff made this drawing, Door Knocker, from graphite and colored pencil on paper. The golden rendering of the knocker feels solid, like I could reach out and rap, rap, rap on the door, while the graphite lines feel tentative and searching. I imagine Staloff hunched over this drawing, studying the play of light on the metal. I can feel his curiosity about the brassy sheen, the weight of the object, the coolness of the metal. He might have been thinking of the tradesmen and artists who have worked with metal across history. The sinuous curve of the knocker feels like an embrace, or maybe a question mark. The simple lines describe the knocker’s form, while the smudgy shadows give it depth. One mark leads to another, as the artist explores the shape and form of the object, and makes it his own. We are all, as painters, looking for a way in.