Eulogy, 2011
Acrylic, canvas, mixed media, vintage litter, Army gear bag, sacred and secular books
2 x 6 ft.

Eulogy comes with the wear and tear of history--and quite literally, its baggage: in a used looking military bag, a stack of religious books, sacred to the acolytes of the respective faiths, connects the ravages of warfare to the intricacies of religion and nationalism. On a stretcher lies the body of the book. Its pages of fabric are stained with colors resembling blood. Sewn onto a piece of green military canvas whose proportions resemble a prayer rug, this book-as-body signifies as yet another casualty of war and suggests a nameless, inchoate loss--of truth, faith, and old certainties. Bart’s departure from the precision of the written word in Eulogy intimates the presence of what cannot be communicated, of that which has been lost exceeds the language of representation. - Christina Schmid, PhD

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