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Will Barnet created this painting using oil on canvas, engaging with well-established fine art materials. Yet, it presents a simplified form, almost flattened. The woman is portrayed with a striking economy of means. Barnet applied the paint in layers to create a sense of depth and luminosity. Look at how he’s used a restricted palette of earth tones, blacks, and whites, only to be interrupted by her pale skin, and small blue eyes. Her dark clothing drapes over the sofa she sits on, creating a strong abstract pattern. The fruit she holds is the only pop of color. It looks as if he is minimizing visual elements to distill the essence of the subject. The labor is not in surface finish, but in paring down. By choosing these humble materials and processes, Barnet directs our attention to the basic elements of painting itself, inviting us to consider the relationship between representation and abstraction. The painting challenges our conventional understanding of both subject and medium.