Door Knocker c. 1940

Curator: This work by Jacob Lipkin, dating to around 1940, presents a "Door Knocker" rendered in pencil. My first thought: the density of the rendering transforms something utilitarian into an icon. Editor: Yes, it feels almost melancholic, doesn’t it? All that intricate detail painstakingly recreated in pencil, a celebration of labor... Lipkin draws our attention to the unseen hands that shaped even the most functional of objects. Curator: Exactly. And let's consider the context. The 1940s witnessed enormous industrial shifts driven by war. Was Lipkin drawn to this object—likely mass-produced itself—as a relic of sorts, imbued with history? Perhaps this pencil drawing attempts to monumentalize its quotidian status? Editor: Maybe. Or maybe he simply loved the light and shadow play, and saw its symbolic significance. I'm immediately drawn to how the artist seems to dwell on its aged patina—all those tiny nicks and grazes captured so perfectly. The object speaks, if only we slow down to listen. It almost makes me think about our homes, the subtle details we never acknowledge as they tell stories of lived-in experience. Curator: The rendering choices highlight its material existence, underscoring that all manufactured objects bear the marks of labor, industry, and even obsolescence. Notice how the pencil work becomes more textured around the edges—almost vibrating—and consider what this might indicate about our relationship with commonplace objects. What stories do we find reflected back? Editor: And this act of close looking allows a deeper engagement. Even a simple object holds beauty; the artistic transformation helps us look beyond mere function toward an object's intrinsic presence and subtle narrative. I feel almost sad to imagine it's out of use and abandoned. Curator: Abandonment can transform the mundane into the meaningful. By drawing a manufactured door knocker, Lipkin, I believe, pushes the boundaries of what we deem worthy of aesthetic appreciation. Editor: Precisely! In turning our attention to it we reclaim, reinvent the narratives woven through forgotten places and things. Well, that's given me a new perspective at least!