The dream 1998

Will Barnet made this lithograph, called 'The Dream', using multiple shades of gray and blue. The image is built up with small, precise marks, and it's clear he spent a lot of time in this process, allowing the image to slowly reveal itself. The dreamlike quality comes from the stark contrast between the interior space where the figure stands, and the outside world. Barnet has used the texture of the lithographic stone to great effect, using it to create a subtle shimmer that makes it feel like the whole image is breathing. The hatching on the woman's skirt is particularly wonderful. I think Barnet understood the language of Giorgio Morandi, who knew how to create atmosphere and mood using subdued tones. Like Morandi, Barnet embraced ambiguity and used it to express emotional complexity.