Vera Barnett
In/Out
2011

About the Item

This painting was inspired by the Virginia Woolf quote: "I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in." In her series titled "The Painted Word," Vera Barnett has turned to the written word for inspiration, building a body of work from her examination of common sayings, quotes, and poems. Barnett develops imagery with poignant meanings derived from each phrase, and assembles her compositions as maquettes in her studio from which to paint. Once the scene is created – using sewn plastic and cloth, cardboard, tape, fabrics, and found objects – Barnett paints her tableaus in a trompe l’oeil manner so real as to confound the viewer. The figures’ fabricated textures are rendered so convincingly, yet their presence and humanity are fully authentic. As the scholar Frederick Turner writes, "For one of the most remarkable things about these figures is that they are, oddly, so full of human feeling. Their faces are so expressive, so full of trepidation, resignation, bemused happiness, anxiety, affection, woe. The eyes are especially striking, with their innocent and meditative gaze - almost never directly out of the picture into the viewer's eyes, but always inward into the drama of the scene itself or into their own thoughts." The juxtaposition of plasticity and reality suggests duality of meaning and Barnett’s interpretations of the written word are uniquely her own. Barnett explains, “I am drawn to art that explores the emotional relationships between people, their environment and circumstances that they find themselves in. I wish to reconstruct these ideas through my own vision, my life and experiences.” Barnett studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. This painting is included her second solo exhibition at Valley House Gallery, “Vera Barnett: The Painted Word,” in 2015. Bibliography: “Vera Barnett: Classical Plastique,” exhibition catalogue, with the essay “The Fabrications of Vera Barnett: an Appreciation” by Frederick Turner, Valley House Gallery, Dallas, Texas, 2010.

Creator:
Vera Barnett (1957, American)
Creation Year:
2011
Dimensions:
Height: 48 in (121.92 cm)Width: 48 in (121.92 cm)
Medium:
Linen,Oil
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
21st Century
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Dallas, TX
Reference Number:
Seller: 169211stDibs: LU257416452
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