Meet Will Barnet

New England Light

Timestamp: 0:02:36 | Permalink Permalink to this note

The Blue Thread
Will Barnet, 1984
oil on canvas
38 3/8 x 72 3/8 in. (97.4 x 83.9 cm.)
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frank K. Ribelin and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
1996.72

Will Barnet has painted several images of mothers and children that capture intimate scenes of family life. In The Blue Thread, the verticals and horizontals of the windows, table, and chair divide the painting into neat rectangles, and Barnet positioned his daughter, her son, and the family cat so that they evoke figures from an Egyptian wall painting. The subdued tones and stylized poses transform a fleeting moment in his household into an image that feels timeless.

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"I'm not a colorist in the usual sense."
0:00:24
"I have always searched for clarity and harmony over violence, chaos and accidents." --The artist, 1989, quoted in Will Barnet, Springfield Art Museum, 2001

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New England Light
0:00:41
The Blue Thread Will Barnet, 1984 oil on canvas 38 3/8 x 72 3/8 in. (97.4 x 83.9 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frank K. Ribelin and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment 1996.72

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Recurring Themes
0:01:01
Woman and Cats Will Barnet, 1962 Will Barnet (Printer) color woodcut on paper image: 22 7/8 x 24 1/2 in. (58.1 x 62.2 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Harry W. Zichterman in memory of Joshua C. Taylor 1981.140 He experimented with abstraction for several years, aiming to "eliminate realistic space" in favor of simple geometric forms. His later work is more representational and focuses almost entirely on the female form, emphasizing the contrast between natural curves and rigidly composed backgrounds of horizontal and vertical forms.

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Composition and Landscape
0:01:23
Labor (Workers) Will Barnet, 1935 aquatint and etching on paper 9 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. (25.1 x 25.1 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Transfer from D.C. Public Library 1967.72.14

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Janus and the White Vertebra
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Janus and the White Vertebra Will Barnet, 1955 oil on canvas 41 1/8 x 23 7/8 in. (104.4 x 60.7 cm.) Smithsonian American Art Museum Gift of Mr. Wreatham E. Gathright 1986.73

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Big Grey
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Big Grey Will Barnet, 1962 color woodcut on paper image: 26 3/8 x 20 3/8 in. (67.1 x 51.9 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum Given in memory of Peter Deitsch 1974.67

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Positano
0:02:28
Positano 1960 Will Barnet oil on canvas 57 x 42 1/4 in. (144.8 x 107.3 cm) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. 1969.47.4

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Other Works by Will Barnet
0:02:58
View other works by Will Barnet in the collection of the American Art Museum.

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Channels: American ArtWill Barnet

"I have always searched for clarity and harmony over violence, chaos and accidents."

--Will Barnet

I enjoyed the video.I like his emphasis on clarity,harmony over violence. Allan Frumkin told me he thought violence was important in modern art. Winston Hough

Anonymous's picture
Submitted by winston hough on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 17:57.

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