Ravilious' Dog
Barratt works in the English narrative art tradition although he is not English. Born in Canada he thinks of himself as a Londoner ever since arriving for what was meant to be a two-week stay twenty years ago. He has that immigrant’s zeal for his adopted home and includes local settings and recognizable vistas in much of his work. His paintings and prints display a love of art history and a kinship with Hogarth in particular, but the emotional current flows to Chagall, the gentle master of joyfulness, optimism and family love. Language is hugely important too. His titles are an integral part of the work and the action often involves verbal and visual puns and references to artistic and literary themes.