Chest Lock with Hasp c. 1938

Al Curry, who lived to be 100 years old, made this drawing of a chest lock with hasp. The drawing is simple but meticulously rendered. It presents the kind of everyday object that most of us wouldn’t think twice about. I wonder, what was Al Curry thinking when he set about this project? Was he interested in the aesthetic qualities of a lock? Maybe it was the form, the dark metal against the light paper, or the challenge of capturing it. I imagine that the act of drawing became a process of seeing and understanding. He may have been interested in the lock itself, or perhaps he was using the lock as a prompt for something else. The dark metal has a tactile quality. I feel as if I could reach out and touch it. There's a starkness in the image, a simplicity that leaves space for thought, feeling, and reflection. In the end, the beauty that Curry found in this object is thought-provoking and beautiful.