Flora and Fauna
Wherever he went, Barton took note of the plant life around him, also casting his eye on birds, fish, and other small, domestic creatures. His passion for plants was shared by Henry Evans, who made his own botanical prints, and Evans’s wife Patricia, with whom Barton collaborated on the volume A Modern Herbal (1961). Whether tracing a common houseplant or an exotic bloom, Barton’s sinuous line was perfectly suited to the visual description of botanical specimens.
Barcelona, August 21, 1962
This elegant drawing, featuring one of Barton’s customized stamps at the top, illustrates his predilection for plant life. Although such works recall the spare botanical drawings of Henri Matisse (1869–1954), with whom he was certainly familiar, Barton developed an idiosyncratic repertoire of marks, such as those that denote the nodes of the central stem.
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Barcelona, August 21, 1962
Pen and ink with graphite
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Untitled [Owl] 1962
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Untitled [Owl] 1962
Pen and ink with graphite
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
The Shanghai Pool Parlor
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
The Shanghai Pool Parlor, June 3, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Untitled [Hands and fish]
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Untitled [Hands and fish], October 18, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Untitled [Plant with garden stick, top and bottom]
Although each of these sheets is signed and dated, suggesting that the drawings are autonomous, they also form halves of a pair. The two works can be hung together, as they are here, resulting in a more imposing composition.
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Untitled [Plant with garden stick, top and bottom], June 26, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Untitled [Stems]
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Untitled [Stems], June 23, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
The Green Medium
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
The Green Medium, April 29, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Untitled [Plant on restaurant table]
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Untitled [Plant on restaurant table], May 13, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Untitled [Plant in bedroom]
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Untitled [Plant in bedroom], May 15, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Chinese Ink
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Chinese Ink, April 1, 1960
Pen and ink
Rick Barton papers (Collection 2374), UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Flowers, a First Coloring Book
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Flowers, a First Coloring Book
San Francisco: Porpoise Bookshop, 1960
24 linoleum block prints on double leaves, edition of 80
Private collection
A Modern Herbal
Barton had a close relationship not only with Henry Evans but also with Evans’s first wife, Patricia, who authored this twentieth-century update on a classic genre. Barton’s illustrations demonstrate his familiarity with his subjects, as well as his skill in representing flora both accurately and economically.
Patricia Evans (1920–1988)
A Modern Herbal
Illustrations by Rick Barton
San Francisco: Porpoise Bookshop, 1961
The Morgan Library & Museum, purchased on the Gordon N. Ray Fund, 2021; PML 198663
Hands and Flowers
This portfolio combines two of Barton’s favorite subjects, hands and flowers. He privileges them equally, resulting in inventive compositions that seem to imagine a species that is both human and botanical.
Rick Barton (1928–1992)
Hands and Flowers, plates 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
San Francisco: Porpoise Bookshop, 1960
11 linoleum block prints in portfolio, edition of 80
Private collection