Hurtsboro 2021

Editor: This is "Hurtsboro," an oil painting by Bo Bartlett from 2021. What immediately strikes me is the texture of the sand – it feels so real. I'm curious about how Bartlett achieved that. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: For me, it's how Bartlett uses the materiality of oil paint to address issues of representation and labor. Look closely at the figures – they're presented with an almost classical monumentality, yet they're also rendered with a frankness that avoids idealization. Consider the socio-economic context. What kind of labor might these figures be engaged in? Are they workers, residents, tourists? Editor: That's a fascinating point. I was focusing so much on the formal qualities, but the socio-economic aspect hadn't fully clicked. The light suggests leisure, but their postures also hint at weariness. Is the choice of oil paint itself significant here, maybe compared to acrylic? Curator: Absolutely. Oil paint, with its history of representing wealth and status, becomes a charged material when depicting these figures. Bartlett seems to be playing with this tension – using a "high art" medium to portray a seemingly everyday scene, potentially challenging assumptions about who gets represented and how. He also seems to invoke earlier Realist painters in the lineage of Courbet. The location being called "Hurtsboro" makes me question if this scene is so idyllic after all. Editor: I see. It’s like the medium itself carries a historical and social weight. I never thought about oil paint being a material with baggage! Thank you, that really opened my eyes to how an artist's choice of material can be so much more than just practical. Curator: Indeed. By focusing on the materials and the process, we gain a richer understanding of the artist's intention and the artwork's social commentary. I find this painting far more layered than it initially appears.