A Tender Age 2012

Bo Bartlett made this painting, "A Tender Age," with oil on canvas, and looking at this piece, I’m struck by how much the making of art is about remembering, and reimagining the past. There’s a stillness, and a sense of quiet observation in the brushwork; the colours are muted, almost dreamlike, creating a melancholic atmosphere. I’m drawn to the way the golden field meets the blue of the sky, the horizon line blurred, like a memory fading at the edges. If you look closely, you can see the surface of the canvas isn’t smooth; Bartlett leaves traces of his process, the paint built up in layers, each stroke a decision, a moment in time. It reminds me of the work of Andrew Wyeth; both share a similar interest in the everyday, finding beauty in the ordinary moments of life. Art isn’t just about what we see, but how we feel, what we remember, and how we connect with the world around us.