
I had a great conversation with American figurative artist Bo Bartlett. Bo’s paintings have a deep emotional and spiritual impact. He’s been painting for the last 40 years and it shows. Bo is highly revered and his work is collected around the world in private collections and museums. This is a long conversation and as we got deeper into it Bo talked about his experience of life and death and the underlying philosophy of his work and life.
Here are the main points of what we talk about:
- Sky paintings,
- Norman Rockwell,
- Learning to paint in Florence,
- Painting large,
- Brushwork as a byproduct of being,
- Anticipating interpretations,
- Andrew Wyeth,
- Color,
- Filmmaking,
- The Bo Bartlett Centre,
- Art in schools,
- Art with the homeless,
- Spiral dynamics theory,
- Going blind,
- Visions,
- Life and death,
- Intention,
- Current artistic challenges,
- Legacy,
To find out more about Bo and his work
http://bobartlett.com/
Referenced in the podcast
Snow Hill – Bo’s film about Andrew Wyeth
http://chiptaylor.com/i_wyeth.html
My dinner with Andre
https://youtu.be/9vGpBYJ5_6E
Suzi Gablik’s book The Reenchantment of Art
Suzi Gablik’s book Has modernism failed?
Most moving paintings to make . . .

Goddess by Bo Bartlett. 140″ x 220″

God by Bo Bartlett 120″ x 168″
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Thank you for the interview with Bo Bartlett! I would just like to add that I think John Dalton is the new Vasari of the New Renaissance!
I look forward to listening to your podcasts and as painting is a solitary activity, your interviews are like anticipated guests!
Thank you for the kind words Laura. I am quite humbled by the Vasari comparison.
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Wow, I’m afraid that I’m still driving around the block. Thank you for this interview. I am a big fan of Bo’s art. He is not only a great artist, but also such a kind person.