Military Chapeau 1935 - 1942

James H.C. Vail made this painting, Military Chapeau, with watercolor and graphite on paper. I look at this chapeau, this hat, and I feel an understanding for Vail. He’s taken something so formal and tried to paint it in a way that embraces softness. The sweeps of graphite are gentle. There’s almost a feeling of the hat softening, drooping a bit. I can imagine him painting this, trying to capture a real object, but being more interested in the play of light and shadow across the fur. And I feel a real connection to that struggle. It’s like he’s wrestling with how to turn something solid into something felt. I can see him, brush in hand, really trying to capture not just the *look* of the hat, but its *essence*. Vail and all artists are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another’s creativity across time.