" WINTER BARNYARD "
Robert Bateman
2500 s/n Paper
14.625" x 32.5"
$285
Winter Barnyard - Robert Bateman
"The barn with its cattle symbolizes for me a wonderful era in the relationship of man to man,
and man to animal. This time began thousands of years ago but was refined a few years ago
in
the temperate zone of Europe and then North America. Soils and climate were good for
producing
crops but the catch was winter. If people could produce a surplus, the problem
was
storage
. . . thus the invention of the barn.
The Europeans who came to North America found the wonderful white pine in abundance.
It was easily worked with a broad ax into strong, straight beams which could be joined by
mortise and tenon. The planks on the outside came from the same pines and the base of
the barn was made of field stones which usually were part of the clearing process. The
whole
building was like a living thing that literally "breathed" with animals below and a well
ventilated and flexible hayloft above. The legendary barn building "bees" were part of the
fibre
of the rural community where everyone - men, women and children had a part to
play
in an unselfish social, communal effort. It was humanity at its best - great work
and great fun at the same time.
The animals in a traditional farm were known as individuals and usually had names.
Although
they often sacrificed their lives to humans, they were treated with care and respect.
I greatly lament the trend at the end of the 20th century to industrialize almost everything
including farming. The disastrous effects this has had on rural populations - pollution, debt
and
over-production - causes me to wonder if the so-called cheap, efficient, new methods
might
actually be too costly in the long run. Let's begin to take another look at traditional
agricultural methods which clearly have a more gentle and more sustainable interface with
nature and are more fulfilling for the human spirit.
18” x 40”, acrylic on board, 1995 - Robert Bateman
Winter Barnyard - Robert Bateman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
CLICK HERE OR IMAGE TO RETURN TO THE ROBERT BATEMAN " W " PAGE