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The Blue Thread

  • Will Barnet, The Blue Thread, 1984, oil, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frank K. Ribelin and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1996.72

Luce Center Label

Will Barnet has painted several images of mothers and children that capture intimate scenes of family life. In The Blue Thread, the verticals and horizontals of the windows, table, and chair divide the painting into neat rectangles, and Barnet positioned his daughter, her son, and the family cat so that they evoke figures from an Egyptian wall painting. The subdued tones and stylized poses transform a fleeting moment in his household into an image that feels timeless.

Title
The Blue Thread
Artists
Will Barnet
Date
1984
On View
  1. Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Luce Foundation Center
  3. 4th Floor
  4. 44A
Dimensions
38 3/8 x 72 3/8 in. (97.4 x 83.9 cm.)
Copyright
Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gift of Frank K. Ribelin and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment

Mediums
oil
Classifications
Painting
Keywords
  • Recreation – leisure – home life
  • Occupation – domestic – sewing
  • Figure group – female and child
  • Animal – cat
  • Object – toy
  • Architecture Interior – detail – window
Object Number
1996.72
Palette
Emoji
Linked Open Data URI

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