Chest Lock with Hasp c. 1938

Al Curry made this drawing of a Chest Lock with Hasp, but we don't know when, and to me, that adds to the mystery! I'm drawn to the way the artist has captured the weight and texture of the metal, not with a perfect photorealism, but with a sensitivity to the material itself. Look at the way the light catches on the edges of the lock plates, how Curry has suggested the rough, uneven surface through subtle shifts in tone. It's like he's not just showing us the object, but also the process of its creation, the hammer blows and the heat of the forge. The metal isn't just black, it's a whole world of grays and browns, a symphony of muted tones. This reminds me of the work of Giorgio Morandi, who made endless paintings of bottles and jars. Both artists share an attention to the beauty of everyday objects, and an ability to find the sublime in the mundane. In the end, art invites us to slow down, to look closely, and to find wonder in the things we might otherwise overlook.