There is, one could say, a modern tradition of Southern absurdity. Bo Bartlett knows this. He paints strange, beautiful, disquieting scenes. Visions, really. They are delicate and austere. They are also humorous and bizarre. And nearly all of his new works seem to inhabit a shared world: a sort of nameless, indistinguishable, dreamscape America. The vibe is old-timey, innocent, and small-town.You can see his Georgian roots in the faces that he paints, always so dignified and upright, and in the rich and luminous colors that seem to depict sky. In many works, we confront a person or persons who are staring right back at us. Like actors solilo- quizing, these figures seem very much to desire an audience, and to address it directly. Bartlett’s works possess a unique sense of Southern theater.— Matthew Jeffrey Abrams

THE MIDWAY
Midway along this tether we stop to wave, hesitantly. Balance is precarious. The bicyclist must keep moving forward to stay upright. Our wheels move only along old ruts. The tightrope walker gestures like the Hoppers taking a bow. We are enter- tainers, the clowns and I, fools in a sideshow. Above the Chat- tahoochee Valley Fair, the Million Dollar Midway, above thejugglers, the carney rides and barkers, the protagonist nds amiddle way. Finds his balance and transcends.

The Midway, 2020
Oil on panel
48 × 60 inches
121.9 × 152.4 cm
Signed, titled, and dated: “Bo, The Midway, I G N, 2020” (verso) 6