The Forge 2008

Curator: Well, look at this, will you? "The Forge," Bo Bartlett's 2008 painting... it strikes me immediately as almost cinematic, monumental, but with this strange, surreal edge. Editor: Cinematic is spot on! The poses, the light—it's like a still from a forgotten epic, perhaps about American labor or some sort of rugged utopia, albeit with some Neo-Expressionist handling around those figures. There's definitely some Fauvism thrown in there too. What is going on in terms of color choice? Curator: Exactly! Bartlett uses that slightly jarring palette to heighten the sense of... off-kilter heroism, maybe? Look at how he’s elevated the working man. We have a central figure about to smash down his mallet with great force. The rest are shown wielding red hot iron. Yet there's also something unsettling in their collective action. They appear caught in almost dreamlike moments in time. It all appears hyper-realistic, but slightly wrong in terms of composition. Editor: It is intriguing to see realist figuration meet dreamlike incongruity, yes. The arrangement of bodies suggests a study of motion—a very interesting composition that blends raw, almost barbaric intensity with poised calm and group portraits. I mean look at the variety of tones. Even in a singular grouping you have differing light skinned, to mid toned to darker toned humans coexisting together working towards what appears to be a collaborative project. Curator: Absolutely, and it makes you wonder about the deeper implications of the scene, the kind of social commentary Bartlett is hinting at. He plays with that tension brilliantly, capturing both the physical intensity of labor and a certain contemplative stillness. A collective identity and labor of love are shown in the painting but that juxtaposition almost hints at underlying conflicts or complexities. Editor: I see your point, yes. Now, focusing on the artistic medium, I note that he rendered the work in acrylic paint on canvas, and you can really feel the textured richness of the material and medium here, its solidity which mirrors the weightiness of the labor. Curator: True. And while on the surface it seems straightforward enough, something about this piece invites us into something far less so, more questioning. We may all work hard to build and grow a culture, but who decides which is a culture worth building and celebrating? Editor: Quite so. It makes the entire experience richer, and encourages looking deeper into not just what appears at face value but delving into questions, which is, I feel, something any decent art must allow.