Child Reaching 1940

Curator: The piece before us, dating to 1940, is entitled "Child Reaching" by Will Barnet, a print showcasing one of his characteristically domestic scenes. What's your initial reaction to it? Editor: It feels somehow both innocent and slightly menacing, like a fable. The table looms large, and the reaching child… are they striving for nourishment or something unattainable? The limited color palette adds to this sense of quiet tension. Curator: It's interesting you pick up on that. Barnet was very interested in flattened perspectives and simplifying forms—look at how he renders depth through color and line alone. The domestic interior transforms into almost a stage set, which intensifies the child’s solitary reaching gesture. Editor: Precisely. The tablecloth is such a vibrant, patterned plane that seems to advance, denying any recessive depth. It’s like a formal challenge between flatness and implied space that sets an uncertain background to this quest. Also note how the wood grain and blocks bring the sense of tactile and grounded in sharp opposition to the child's hopeful reaching. Curator: And Barnet repeats that flatness everywhere, in the outlined shapes and deliberate juxtapositions of color. Notice how that flattened spatial arrangement also isolates the objects: each sits independently on the plane. It's tempting to read it psychoanalytically. Editor: Indeed, all elements appear distinct and discrete in space and yet also interconnected through Barnet's specific use of line. I am curious: the picture hangs tilted. Deliberate accident or a symbolic imperfection undermining conventional perfection? Curator: I'd hazard that choice highlights the artist's sensitivity to the overall emotional register. The imperfection in the composition creates an intentional distortion, enhancing its intimate mood. Editor: An interesting thought. By stripping away illusionistic depth, he foregrounds the surface—calling attention to the print medium itself. It encourages a tangible sense of intimacy despite the cool formal geometry. Curator: Absolutely. For Barnet, emotion and formal considerations were inextricable. He gives us access to everyday existence while at the same time interrogating the potential and boundaries of picture making. Editor: I agree, Barnet pushes the medium in interesting ways. This fusion creates an enigmatic balance, prompting us to revisit our perception of the domestic realm.