Woman by the Sea 1973

Will Barnet's "Woman by the Sea" is a print where planes of colour meet, not blend. It has a quietness that comes from the reductive process of printmaking. Look how the blocky dark silhouette of the woman contrasts with the hazy greys of the sea and sky. The surface is flat, yet the feeling is deep. Notice how Barnet simplifies everything into basic shapes - the rectangles of the railing, the oval of the woman's head. There’s a subtle texture in the sky, a slightly mottled effect, which lightens the seriousness of the form. Barnet's work often explores these serene, contemplative spaces. It makes me think of Japanese printmakers like Hiroshige, who also captured the beauty of landscape in a very distilled and essential way. It’s this embrace of quiet simplicity, that makes Barnet’s print linger in the mind long after you’ve moved on.