Iron "Bank" Bank c. 1938

Clementine Fossek made this small painting of an Iron "Bank" Bank and I wonder, what was she thinking about as she painted? The brown hues are layered just so, with subtle variations that give the bank its weighty presence. I can imagine Fossek at her desk, squinting, mixing colors, trying to capture the way light hits metal. The level of detail in the roof tiles and those tiny windows makes me think about the hours of concentration it must have taken. This isn't just a picture of a bank; it's a meditation on thrift, security, or maybe even the Industrial Age. There is a bit of Joseph Cornell in the subject choice; a desire to paint the small objects of modern life. I love the little olive green highlights that suggest the play of light and shadow. It’s as if Fossek is showing us how something ordinary can be seen as special, worth preserving.