Thresh Hold 1992

Benny Andrews made "Thresh Hold" with paint and fabric collage to create a sensitive portrait of mother and child. I can imagine Benny, in his studio, carefully choosing scraps of fabric to piece together this image. There’s a tension between the flatness of the fabric and the depth he creates with paint. Look at the mother’s floral shirt, rendered in delicate dabs, contrasting with the dark solidity of her face. It’s as if he's building up layers of experience, memory, and feeling. What is she thinking? The vertical strip of textured fabric to the right pulls your eye, creating a kind of barrier or threshold. The mother’s gaze is direct, engaging, yet there’s a vulnerability in her expression. The painting embraces uncertainty, opening up multiple interpretations of motherhood, identity, and resilience. It's part of a larger conversation about representation and the human condition.