Meat Hook c. 1940

George Spector made this ‘Meat Hook’ sometime in the 20th century. The hook hangs like a spine, so precise, and so utterly still. I can feel the artist hovering above this subject. I know that feeling, that desire to give form to something you see in the world – to drag it out of the ether, into the light. Spector laboriously details all the curves and angles of the object and captures the form with delicate, almost imperceptible lines. It reminds me of Giorgio Morandi's still life paintings. The Italian artist would spend hours precisely arranging bottles, vases, and boxes on a tabletop, studying the relationships between the objects and then painting them with incredible care and attention. It’s the same sensibility here – a humble, yet poignant meditation on an ordinary object, rendered extraordinary through the artist's attention and skill. We are lucky to have this quiet contemplation.