Marilyn Monroe; Red Velvet #3 2019

Here's Marilyn Monroe; Red Velvet #3, made by Greg Hildebrandt, where the model, lying back against a curtain of velvet red, is the central image. I can imagine Hildebrandt in his studio, mixing shades of red and flesh tones. There is a lot of soft brushwork as he painstakingly works on this piece. The red velvet background is like a sea of passion, or maybe a theatre curtain, ready to rise and reveal a performance. The texture looks smooth, almost airbrushed. How do you even paint velvet to look so velvety? It reminds me a little of those old Hollywood glamour shots. Painting is always an act of translation; to capture the light, the mood, the energy, and put it all on canvas. Each brushstroke is a choice, a decision, an attempt to capture the fleeting essence of a subject. And it's through these acts of painting that artists like Hildebrandt speak to each other across generations, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways.