Blue Robe

(After) Will Barnet (1911-2012, American) “Blue Robe” - This work of art is a reproduction from a book of Barnet’s work; at the bottom is the title, ‘Artist’s Proof’ designation, and a signature. The 11.25 x 16-inch sheet has been matted and placed in a 16.25 x 20.25-inch black metal frame. Barnet’s original work, “The Blue Robe”, was a 50 x 54-inch oil painting on canvas circa 1962. (See last photo). In 1971, a limited edition (225) aquatint with etching in black, blue, and rust on wove Arches paper was issued. Literary references: Szoke 148; C. 144 (Will Barnet: etchings, lithographs, woodcuts, serigraphs, 1932-1972; catalogue raisonné (1972); Sylvan Cole (1918 -2005); 144. Featured in this image is Barnet’s second wife, Elena, with their daughter, Ona, and a black cat. All three figures appear to have long limbs and are resting in abstract but dreamlike positions.

Will Barnet was an American artist known for his paintings, watercolors, drawings, and prints depicting the human figure and animals, both in casual scenes of daily life and in transcendent dreamlike worlds. His earliest works were influenced by expressionism; these were followed by abstract works in the 1950s and 1960s, and finally evolved into more figurative works of silhouetted forms set against geometrically designed backgrounds. Barnet’s work may be found in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others.