Wrought Iron Door c. 1936

Al Curry made this ‘Wrought Iron Door’, likely with graphite or ink on paper. It's this lovely architectural drawing, full of swirling filigree work. I love that Curry uses the paper's blankness as a ground; it allows the ironwork to almost float in space. And how he varies the thickness of the lines. The darker, heavier outlines provide a structure and then, inside that, he builds up these delicate, swirling patterns with finer, lighter lines. It gives it a kind of depth. Look at how he's rendered the brickwork on either side; it’s not just a flat plane, he's taken the time to add the cross-hatching, which gives it texture and volume. It feels like he's building up the image slowly, layering line upon line. This reminds me of Piranesi’s architectural drawings, the way he uses linear perspective and meticulous detail to create these almost dreamlike spaces. It's the layering and building up of marks that brings an image to life. Art's always a conversation, right? A back and forth between ideas, marks, and artists. It is a way of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world.