Door Handle with Thumb Press c. 1939

So, Jacob Lipkin made this drawing of a Door Handle with Thumb Press, and I immediately wonder about the kind of pencil he used, and what kind of paper. You can almost feel the graphite on the page, right? He's using the side of the pencil to get this soft gray tone, but then he also uses the tip for the sharper lines of the door handle. I think about how he must have looked really carefully at the original, noticing the way the light catches on the metal, the way the handle curves, and how it all fits together. I've seen similar works, and it feels like Lipkin is part of this history of artists who are interested in everyday objects, in the beauty of things that we might not always notice. And by drawing them, he's asking us to look more closely, too. To see the world around us with fresh eyes. It’s about seeing things with your hands, and feeling the way the world is put together.