Big Boy 

Curator: This is Julie Bell’s oil painting "Big Boy," a striking, close-up portrait of a bison. Editor: Immediate impression: Raw power, untamed. The scale feels monumental even in a digital reproduction. The darkness of the fur against the glowing background makes it seem like something primordial. Curator: The intensity comes from the dramatic cropping, placing the bison's face front and center. Bell focuses intently on its weathered features—the textures of the fur, the weight of those horns. Consider the symbolic weight of the bison, particularly within the context of American history. Editor: Absolutely. The near decimation of the bison population is a stark reminder of westward expansion and the systematic displacement of Native American tribes. Rendering it so majestically, as an individual, seems to lend it a voice, a kind of remembrance. Curator: You're touching upon a key element of Bell's realism: she avoids sentimentality while evoking empathy. Note how light dances across its face, almost deifying the beast but refusing romantic idealization. It feels very deliberate in its monumentality, almost mimicking history painting of old, replacing generals and monarchs with this singular beast. Editor: I wonder how a contemporary audience interprets this imagery. Is it a memorial? A confrontation? The painting raises issues about conservation, environmental impact, and our relationship to the natural world—all crucial components of public discourse around art. Curator: Agreed. Its meaning is multi-layered, resonating both historically and contemporaneously. It's a complex symbol made visceral through Bell's technical skill with paint. Editor: Seeing this piece has me considering how animal portraiture often becomes an exercise in anthropomorphism. Curator: Perhaps that’s unavoidable, imbuing our subjects with aspects of our own human experience, and how much this allows us to see ourselves within these creatures as well. Editor: I agree, its power lingers long after you’ve moved on.