He Will Say He Knows Nothing: A Rick Bartow Exhibition

Stonington Gallery is proud to present He Will Say He Knows Nothing: A Rick Bartow Exhibition for the month of March. This exhibition is a testament to Bartow’s unconventional artistic practice and experimental storytelling ultimately reminding us of the humor in our shared experiences.

Yurok artist, Rick Bartow (1946-2016) drew deeply from both Native American mythological archetypes and a deeply personal symbolic catalogue, encapsulating his characters in a maelstrom of colors and pulsating lines. He lived a life full of travel, war, love, addiction, and friendship. An avid reader, musician, and artist, Bartow’s work was constantly pushing himself to make new work. Whether it was incorporating animal imagery or scratching into his works the names of friends or notable figures who inspired him, Bartow’s work throughout his career was anything but stagnant. His creations were always intuitive and emotional, and often reflected his own image and psyche. He found body movement to be an important part of his physical process, often tacking paper up to a wall and standing so he could make large uninhibited strokes. He never shied away from taping paper together to create visual interest or tearing apart one piece only to make a new artwork on top of it. There was no limit to the way Bartow created.

The unconventional blending of techniques and of subject matter make Rick Bartow’s work unique and extraordinarily compelling. He would often mention that his work reflected truth—about himself, the truth and inevitability of transformation, and the wonderful complexity of the humor in all of it.