Table 2001

Editor: Here we have Jennifer Bartlett’s "Table," created in 2001 using acrylic paint. It has a very playful feel, almost like a mosaic. I'm curious, what stands out to you about it? Curator: Well, it immediately makes me think about the commodification of domestic life through art. Consider how "table" paintings traditionally signify domestic comfort and middle-class aspirations. What is interesting about Bartlett's "Table," however, is its near abstraction. Do you see how it almost resists any direct symbolic reading? Editor: I do! The patterns and colors are vivid, but it’s hard to decipher any clear narrative. Is that deliberate on her part, maybe a commentary? Curator: Precisely. The painting emerged during a time when ideas of home were becoming increasingly scrutinized. Think about gentrification, economic disparities; these are all societal forces influencing what "home" meant to people in the early 2000s. Bartlett could be suggesting that the ideal of the 'perfect table' is perhaps unattainable, or maybe even superficial. It presents more of an idea of 'table' through an arrangement of pattern and color, and by playing with perception and abstraction, rather than as a readily understandable icon of domesticity. Editor: So the artist is making a comment on contemporary social ideas and culture through the use of painting. It gives a whole new meaning to how artwork and society influence each other. Thank you for your help and insight into this painting! Curator: My pleasure! It is exciting to see artwork that raises some fascinating points and questions.