Tie it Up Inside 2020

Monica Ikegwu made this painting, "Tie it Up Inside," using oil on canvas. The colour palette is pretty muted, mostly greens and browns, but it’s how she builds up the layers that gets me thinking about the painting process. The background swirls like fabric, it’s hard to tell, but the illusion is built with thin layers of glazing, like smoke. It contrasts with the figure in the foreground, she’s built up with thicker, more confident strokes of paint. I love how the artist has captured the texture of her hair, the way it seems to float around her head. Look at the way the green of her top almost glows against her skin. The brushwork is confident, expressive but not showy. It reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, another artist who builds up figures with a limited palette and confident brushstrokes, always evoking a particular mood. It’s like they're catching a feeling, rather than trying to nail down a specific likeness. There’s always something to discover, something not quite pinned down, and that’s what keeps me looking.