Siesta

With this scene’s off-center placement, large areas of blank paper, and warm, delicate tones, Siesta could be mistaken for a Japanese woodblock print. John Platt produced his colors in the Japanese manner, blending powdered pigment with paste made from rice flour. The boats’ neutral colors contribute to the sense of sleepy calm, as do the beautifully foreshortened sails, which have been hung to provide shade in the open water.