His hesitation 2022

Lanise Howard painted this portrait, titled 'His hesitation', sometime this century. It's a really smooth piece, isn't it? The blending of the colours is so gentle, it's like the whole image is breathing. I love the way Howard builds up the skin tones. It's not just one flat colour, but all these subtle shifts from warm to cool, light to shadow. And look at the way the light catches on his cheekbone, there’s a subtle shimmer there. You can see how the artist layered the paint, almost like glazing, to get that luminosity. It reminds me of early Alex Katz. That mouth! The way it's slightly open, like he's about to say something but then thinks better of it. It's like the painting is holding its breath, right? The emotion is so carefully controlled, so understated. It reminds me that the best paintings are often the ones that leave you with more questions than answers.