Study for Woman in Hammock ("Summer Idyll") 1975

Will Barnet made this drawing, "Study for Woman in Hammock," in 1976. You can see how the image has come into being, shifting and emerging through line, a search for something. I sympathize with Barnet. The woman in the hammock looks so comfortable, so relaxed. I wonder what he was thinking when he made this drawing? Did he want to capture a moment of peace and stillness? The lines are delicate and thin, building a form out of tone rather than contour. Notice the cross hatching that creates the shading on her body. The way the hand flops over, the arm crooked above her head. It’s about as casual as you can get! It makes me want to grab a hammock and head outside. Painters are always in an ongoing conversation, inspiring each other's creativity across time. Barnet found a way of seeing that reminds me of Bonnard, or Vuillard. This drawing is an embodied expression, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.