Herbert Barnett Art

Herbert Barnett was an American artist whose life and work was closely tied to New England, and yet, his distinctive style of painting draws upon both the American tradition of repr...

"The Quarry" is an original oil painting on board by Herbert Barnett. The artist signed the piece lower left. This artwork features an abstract and modernist landscape shoing a quarry and various geometric buildings. The artist used earth tones and flat brush strokes to create this work, as well as some techniques inspired by Paul Cezanne to collapse the perspective. 12 1/4" x 27" art 15 1/4" x 30 1/8" frame Herbert Barnett was an American artist whose life and work was closely tied to New England, and yet, his distinctive style of painting draws upon both the American tradition of representation and the artistic innovations of the Cubists. He is known as a painter of extraordinary ability and a virtuoso draftsman, whose works are included in numerous public and private collections across the country. Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Barnett grew up in Providence. While still in high school, he began to study painting at the Rhode Island School of Design. From 1927-31, he studied at the Boston Museum School and soon acquired a reputation for technical proficiency. At seventeen, he had his first one-man show at the Grace Horne Gallery in Boston and was already teaching private classes. After art school, Barnett spent three years traveling and studying in Europe. From the time of his return to the United States in 1934 until 1940, he divided his time between Cape Ann, Mass. and New York City. As he assimilated what he had learned in Europe and absorbed the influence of the older generations of American painters, notably Marsden Hartley, Walt Kuhn and Edward Hopper, Barnett’s style evolved rapidly. By 1939, his painting possessed characteristics that would remain relatively constant in his further development. He began each painting by quickly drawing with the brush to capture the basic contours of his subject. Next, he made a tonal underpainting in oil wash to indicate the most prominent volumes as areas of light and shadow. The painted surface consists of a pattern of discreet, rectangular brushstrokes. Barnett’s emphasis on structure reflects his admiration for Cezanne and the Cubists. In the late 1930s, Barnett’s bold and expressive figure paintings and Cape Ann landscapes...