The Parabolist

The Parabolist

1999
Artist
Bo Bartlett, American, 1955-
Born: Columbus, GA
Work Locations: United States
Country
United States
Object
painting
Medium
Oil paint on linen
Accession Number
2001.689
Credit Line
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum

Bo Bartlett, The Parabolist, 1999. Oil paint on canvas. Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2001.689. © Bo Bartlett

Dimensions
height: 88 in, 223.5200 cm; width: 100 in, 254.0000 cm; frame height: 95 1/2 in, 242.5700 cm; frame width: 107 1/2 in, 273.0500 cm
Inscription
Red fingerprint bottom left corner.
Department
Modern and Contemporary Art
Collection
Modern and Contemporary Art

In “The Parabolist,” a male figure is pictured from behind, facing a tornado with his arms outstretched. Bartlett’s work draws from iconic images of rural America, and the figures depicted seem to belong as if by manifest destiny. The wide open landscape and expansive sky are secondary to the eerily lit figures and seem to function as a stage for the unknown epic narratives featuring Bartlett’s characters. An element of uneasy pessimism separates Bartlett’s large scale work from that of his predecessors. A dark tornado dominates the background of “The Parabolist,” threatening both the figure and the landscape.

Bo Bartlett attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and graduated from New York University’s film school in 1986.

© Bo Bartlett

Exhibition History
  • "In Limbo"—University of Denver, Vicki Myhren Gallery, 01/13/2005 - 03/11/2005

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