Quilt (1 Section) c. 1936

This beautiful quilt section, by Barnes, features a delicate arrangement of colourful hexagons. I can only imagine the artist piecing each shape, choosing colours, and carefully stitching them together. Look at the fabrics—gingham checks, tiny florals, polka dots—each one with its own story and history. I wonder what Barnes was thinking, what memories they were reliving, as they worked. Did they have a favourite hexagon? Did the placement of each shape feel intuitive or carefully planned? It makes me think about Agnes Martin and her grids. Although Martin was working in a different medium, I sense the same attention to detail and quiet contemplation. Both Barnes and Martin invite us to slow down, observe, and find beauty in repetition and subtle variation. The history of painting is a history of artists borrowing and building upon each other's ideas, across time and place, like a communal quilt.