Calling 1998

Curator: Editor: Here we have Bo Bartlett's "Calling," painted in 1998, using oil paint. It strikes me as a very formal portrait, almost regal, even though it's… a cow. What do you make of it? Curator: It's precisely that tension between the mundane and the monumental that intrigues me. Let's consider the materials. Oil paint, traditionally used for high-status portraiture, is employed here to depict livestock. What does this elevation of a farm animal to the realm of fine art say about our relationship to labor and consumption? Editor: It makes you think about where our food comes from, certainly. It feels like a deliberate act, making us consider the material reality behind something we often take for granted. The choice of oil paint does add a certain weight to the subject. Curator: Exactly. Bartlett is challenging the established hierarchy of art. He compels us to acknowledge the processes—the agricultural industry, the butcher's block, and finally, our dinner plate. Do you think this connects to broader artistic movements interested in blurring the lines between high art and craft? Editor: Absolutely. It reminds me a bit of the Pop Art movement's interest in mass-produced imagery, except with an ecological undertone, maybe? There’s definitely a comment here about consumerism, about the materiality of our food production systems, beyond just “portraiture." Curator: Precisely. He uses a traditionally "fine art" medium to highlight these connections. Looking closely, the almost photographic realism only enhances the tension. We are presented with the product of extensive material labor, in what can feel, based on your comment, to be an "ecological" composition. Editor: I never considered portraiture this way before. It’s about seeing beyond the surface, like how the artist selected and manipulated their resources to reflect deeper issues. Curator: Precisely, the value is not just artistic, but material. And I learned from you that these material reflections can carry unexpected ecological awareness.