Siesta

John Edgar Platt

1925

Color woodcut

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Two boats are docked, with people resting on the deck of the foreground boat under a canopy. A larger boat with sails is behind it. 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. Gallery Not on View Gift of Marla J. Kinney