Bible 2010

Curator: Welcome. Before us, we see "Bible," an oil painting by Bo Bartlett, created in 2010. Editor: The first thing I notice is its muted palette. The greens, browns, and off-whites give it this somber, almost dusty feel, like a relic from another era. Curator: That's an astute observation. The book depicted carries immense symbolic weight. Books themselves, especially religious texts, are traditionally symbols of knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual authority. Consider how cultures, throughout history, have ascribed near-magical power to sacred texts. Editor: I am struck by the materiality though, this tangible quality brought about through the heavy application of oil paint, which contrasts so strongly with the weightless potential of scripture or revelation. What sort of conversation is created in using this medium? Curator: Indeed. The very materiality you mention can point to a tension—the gap between the sacred text and the concrete reality of its production and handling. Consider how many hands might have touched this object over time, influencing its interpretations and usages. This artist invites us to think of knowledge not as fixed, but mediated through many human interactions. Editor: And mediated through physical creation! Someone made the paint, someone primed the canvas. Thinking about its potential context, where the artwork would live within the world; what implications for its creator exist there? And in choosing "Bible" as its title, what statements is the creator trying to make, versus what could it imply simply by existing? Curator: Precisely. Bartlett compels us to question the narratives we inherit. "Bible" doesn’t offer easy answers, but invites contemplation of meaning, creation, faith, and history, within the context of contemporary existence. Editor: By drawing our focus so intently onto one material book, the oil-on-canvas object as much as its referent, it's as though Bartlett wants us to reflect on how these foundational texts circulate through cultures and hands. Curator: A poignant reflection on knowledge, labor, and the enduring power of images. Editor: Definitely—art's layered ability to reflect our lived world and beyond.