Aeisha 2021

Monica Ikegwu made this small, intimate portrait, ‘Aeisha’ with paint on canvas sometime around now. It’s very contemporary. The painting is both highly rendered and, at the same time, very painterly. Ikegwu uses a limited palette to create this incredible likeness. It looks like she has scumbled and layered the colors wet-on-wet, creating a sense of light. This is particularly evident in the way the light seems to hit the sitter’s forehead. I love the way Ikegwu has built up the image from layers of glazes and thin washes of color to create the deep warm hues, it’s almost like an old master. Painters like Lynette Yiadom-Boakye also embrace the dialogue between the contemporary and historical, but each artist brings their own unique perspective and approach to the conversation. It makes you think about how painting is this ongoing investigation, right? Each artwork is a continuation of an open-ended conversation about mark-making, representation, and the human condition.