Madam Butterfly 1980

Will Barnet's "Madam Butterfly" is a print that whispers rather than shouts, using quiet colors and simple shapes to tell a story. I imagine Barnet, like me, thinking about the space between things—the quiet in the room, the pause in a conversation. There's a stillness here. The figure sits, waiting, perhaps dreaming. Her robe, a muted red, and the fan beside her are the only warm notes in a cool, gray world. Look at the tree outside, its branches bare against the sky. It’s like a drawing in ink, each line precise and deliberate. I bet Barnet thought about Japanese prints when he made this. There's that same sense of elegance and restraint, a way of saying a lot with just a little. And isn't that what we all want, as artists? To find the perfect, simple gesture that speaks volumes? It reminds me that painting, like life, is often about waiting, watching, and finding beauty in the quiet moments.