Kiesler and Wife 1965

Curator: This is Will Barnet's "Kiesler and Wife," a modernist painting from 1965. Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the somber stillness, a kind of domestic tableau vivant. The restricted palette reinforces the feeling of introspection. And that cat… such a sleek presence! Curator: Indeed. The composition is remarkable. Note how Barnet employs planar forms and subtle tonal shifts to create a flattened space. Observe, too, the positioning of the figures in relation to one another and their surroundings: her elongated body parallels with the horizon while his shorter stature is aligned to a more compact structure. Editor: There's definitely a calculated serenity in their placement. But also…a touch of the absurd! The wife with the apple casually resting between thumb and forefinger—she's the tempting force but completely self-possessed. And is that an Ipad the man's holding? Probably his manuscript or love letters from the past—so tenderly cherished by him… or it might well just be a tablet. Ah, our human ways…so easily captured. Curator: One might read the apple as a reference to temptation or perhaps knowledge, fitting the intellectual milieu Barnet often depicted. It's a visual key, however subtly executed within his geometric interpretation. Let's not dismiss how her gown or long coat is but a series of constructed blocks which somehow don't make it entirely possible to gauge where she sits as her form blends seamlessly in plane to the armrest behind. Editor: Or maybe, with her calm stare and that almost mocking touch toward the husband by way of her extended hand, she just likes apples! What I appreciate is that in its very static and stylized form, it manages to communicate an intimate partnership that time has somehow calcified to stone. Like in a museum, so perfectly put together but just on display. Curator: Ultimately, this canvas is fascinating in the tension it establishes: between formal design and suggested narrative. Editor: Absolutely. I leave with more questions than answers—which is, to my mind, the sign of compelling work!