Inheritance 2010

Bo Bartlett’s painting "Inheritance" presents a formal couple seated on a yellow sofa, evoking a sense of tradition and continuity. The composition immediately recalls Van Eyck's "Arnolfini Portrait", with its emphasis on domestic space and symbolic objects. Note the chess set. Games of strategy appear throughout art history to symbolize intellectual power and family legacies. Yet, it also carries echoes of mortality, as a game can only end with the symbolic death of the king. Consider also the presence of the bocce balls at their feet. These spherical forms, once symbols of play, now lay still on the ground, perhaps suggesting a more somber reflection on life's course. Such elements tap into a collective memory, engaging viewers on a deep subconscious level. The chessboard and the bocce balls become visual metaphors, not just for games played, but for the broader, cyclical game of life and death.