Will Barnet - What Do You See?

It's getting to that time of day where I just want to switch the computer off and sod it but I said to myself I should put a post up on the blog everyday, so this is it. OK lets give Will Barnet a look at. This top painting or illustration (i'm not quite sure) is made up of blocks of colour and has very little detail. It is of a woman laid in bed with a cat snuggled up on her midriff. The woman looks like she has been disturbed whilst she's been reading as she has lifted the book up in the air to get a better view of whatever it is that has disrupted her bedtime reading. The woman looks neither sad nor happy and if anything the cat looks more upset about the disturbance. Maybe the woman is Barnet's wife? Maybe, he just came home one night and sat at the end of the bed and started creating this art work, as she does seem to be pulling an "oh, not me again" face. 

This black and white illustration or painting is of a gathering of women stood on the end of a pier above what appears to be water. All of the women are chatting to each other in groups and to differentiate the bodies Barnet has used varying shades of grey and even put an ever so slight bit of detail in their clothing. The long shawls, conservative hem lines along with their conventional hair style tells me the women are from the Victorian era. The lack of colour brings about a morbid feel to this artwork and this gives me the impression they have all either been to a funeral in their dark attire or maybe that's their everyday work wear and they're all taking a break in the fresh air from the laborious daily grind. There are no men in this artwork, which reiterates that this artwork is illustrating life from the Victorian era, as it was a time when men and women took breaks from work separately. I get the feeling that Barnet wasn't physically present at this gathering either, as the women are faceless which gives off a dreamlike appearance. Or, maybe he even just created it from a memory of a photo or from a detailed recollection from an acquaintance. 

Author: Sam Freek