Tarmac 1986

Bo Bartlett’s painting offers a scene rendered in somber, muted tones, focusing on the aftermath of what appears to be an airplane accident. The overall effect is one of gravity, maybe a kind of mournful realism. I can imagine Bartlett, brush in hand, carefully constructing each figure, each plane fragment, with a weightiness that echoes the scene's emotional toll. The yellow caution tape in the foreground feels like a stark boundary, a marker between us and them, life and death, safety and horror. It's a visual barrier but also an invitation to reflect on the fragility of existence. You can feel the influence of earlier painters like Edward Hopper in the isolated figures and the flat lighting. Bartlett is in conversation with this tradition, pushing it into a more narrative, contemporary space. The act of painting becomes an act of witnessing and contemplating profound human experiences.