My Wife 1937

Will Barnet made this lithograph, ‘My Wife,’ with crayon and scraper on stone. The limited palette is key, it’s a tonal drawing. The mark-making is all about light and shade, which really draws you into the intimacy of the scene. There's a beautiful contrast in the way the lithographic crayon is applied. Some areas are smooth and blended, especially in the face and upper body, while other areas have a more scribbled, almost agitated feel, like in the shading of the bedclothes. I find myself wanting to touch it, to feel the texture, to know if I could recreate it myself. Look closely at the hands; there's a tenderness there, in the way he renders them with so much care. The whole image reminds me a bit of Mary Cassatt’s intimate domestic scenes, but with a more modern, graphic sensibility. In the end, art is always a conversation, a nod to the past while pushing towards something new.