A Room of Their Own 2012

Bo Bartlett, sometime in the vague recent past, made this painting of two figures lounging on a bed in oil on canvas. It’s fascinating, right? The way the light softens the edges, almost like a dream. I can almost feel the artist wrestling with the details, trying to capture not just what's seen, but the mood, the quiet intimacy. The pastel colour palette and soft focus create a dreamlike atmosphere, but the subjects' direct gaze brings a sense of confrontation. I can imagine Bartlett thinking about Lucian Freud, but wanting to create a space for the subjects that isn’t so austere and heavy. The title ‘A Room of Their Own’ makes me think of Virginia Woolf, and all the great paintings of reclining nudes throughout history. Painters are always in conversation with one another and with the past, trying to make something new out of what's come before. It’s like a giant game of telephone, or maybe a jam session where each player adds their own spin to the melody.