When I Let Go Of What I Am, I Become What I Might Be 2018

Amy Sherald’s portrait is made with oil on canvas and features a striking figure set against a solid light purple background. I’m trying to imagine Sherald making this painting, building up those flat planes of color, that tan jacket, those green pants, that amazing head of dark hair. The skin is rendered in grayscale, which immediately sets Sherald's work apart, making it not just a portrait but also a conceptual statement. It must have been something, deciding exactly where those boundaries are, working out the dimensions of the figure, getting the shade just right. The man’s expression is thoughtful, with just a hint of a smile—maybe he, like Sherald, is pondering what it means to let go of what you are and embrace what you might become. In painting, as in life, sometimes you have to let go to see what emerges! Artists are always in conversation with each other, inspiring new ways of seeing and being, and Sherald has something truly unique to say.