Homestead 2019

Bo Bartlett painted “Homestead” with oil on linen in the late 20th or early 21st century. It depicts a family standing in front of their house by the sea. This image calls upon a long tradition of American realism, an aesthetic that has been used to explore themes of national identity and the relationship between people and the land. The artist’s visual language is rooted in the Regionalist movement, which emerged in the 1930s. The movement was suspicious of European Modernism. Instead, Regionalist painters found inspiration in rural America and everyday life. By painting recognizable places and people they hoped to promote a sense of national unity during a time of economic crisis and social upheaval. This conservative artistic style appealed to a wide audience, including government officials, corporate sponsors, and museum curators. To better understand the artwork and its place in a larger cultural context, one could research the history of American realism and its impact on the art market. The image prompts us to think about the social role of art and its relationship to the construction of national identity.