Candle and Rush Light Holder c. 1938

Jack Staloff made this drawing of a candle and rush light holder, and right away, you notice it's all about line. It's kind of an old-school, straightforward approach to describing an object in space. What grabs me is the way Staloff isn't afraid to let the pencil marks build up, creating a subtle, almost gritty texture. The way he models the form, it feels like you could reach out and touch the cool, rough surface of the metal. It's like he's saying, "Hey, this is how I see it, this is how I feel it." There's a bit of Cézanne in the way he repeats and layers his marks. Look at the base, notice how the lines wobble, they're not perfectly symmetrical, but that’s what gives it character. Staloff reminds me a little of Guston; they both have that raw, honest quality in their mark-making. Art isn't about perfection, it's about the conversation and seeing the world a little differently.