Mumblings of a Mass psychosis 2021

Lanise Howard's painting presents a figure rendered in oil with a captivating gaze. The whole picture is built up from many subtle variations of colour. I imagine Howard might have been thinking about Lucian Freud, when she made it. Look at the way she's built up the skin tones, layer by layer. See how the background shifts from grey to yellow, orange to brown, making the figure look like she's emerging from the shadows. It’s like she’s being born right in front of our eyes. Those eyes, though, they tell a story. She’s looking to the side with such a melancholic expression. Maybe Howard was feeling uncertain, caught between different ideas. That little turn of the mouth speaks volumes about human feelings. I'm often thinking about how artists are constantly in conversation, picking up where others left off, finding inspiration in each other’s struggles and breakthroughs. Painting is this ongoing exchange, full of doubt, sure, but also a profound kind of hope.