History Lesson 2002

Bo Bartlett made this painting, History Lesson, without specifying when, though I can certainly imagine the act of painting itself as something of a history lesson. The girl in the painting has a steady gaze, and she stands centered in front of a blackboard which lists wars and casualties. The blackboard is a surface for writing, layering and erasing, a palimpsest of knowledge and unknowing. I can imagine Bartlett standing in front of the canvas, much like this girl in front of the class, considering and reconsidering, perhaps starting over many times as he worked out what he wanted to say. There are also elements of stillness. The globe is a world of potential narratives and histories, while the flag, hanging limply, seems to suggest a nation’s complex identity and evolving story. What interests me most is how History Lesson embraces ambiguity. Bartlett’s painting is a meditation on memory, and national identity. Artists are always having conversations with one another across time, and paintings like this one inspire our creativity.