Home 2010

Bo Bartlett made this painting called ‘Home’, and wow, I’m curious to know what ‘home’ means to him! The woman at the center of the painting is confident, almost daring you to enter her space. To the side, a figure crawls on the lawn. It's a grounded, physical act, a contrast to the woman's stillness. You can almost feel the texture of the grass, and see that the house itself is drawn with detailed brickwork. The building is huge, looming above them. I wonder what Bartlett was thinking when he made this, I can see Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth peering over his shoulder as if to say, ‘yes, that’s it!’ It feels symbolic; is it about family dynamics or something else entirely? Artists are always in conversation, borrowing, responding, building on each other's work across time. Ultimately, painting isn't about fixed answers but embracing ambiguity and sparking personal connections.