Fireman's Helmet 1938

Eugene Bartz made this watercolor of a fireman’s helmet in 1938. Look at the curves of the hat and how they play against the text and ladder on the front. Can you imagine Bartz painting this? Maybe he was thinking about the weight of the hat, the heat of a fire, and the bravery of firefighters. I like the tension in this piece; the hat looks both solid and soft, real and remembered. The way the paint is applied, thin and washy, gives the helmet a kind of ghostly presence. The red and black of the helmet reminds me of some paintings by Marsden Hartley – that same starkness and simplicity. And you see that little ladder there? It’s like a symbol, a clue, a secret message about risk and rescue. Painters do this all the time, you know - we look at each other’s work, borrow ideas, have imaginary conversations across time. What is it about the work of painting that keeps us all connected? It’s an ongoing dialogue of color, form, and feeling.