99% NO.41 Preston 2013

Curator: Sedrick Huckaby's "99% NO.41 Preston", now housed at the Harvard Art Museums, presents a portrait rendered with striking economy in monochrome. Editor: The raw, sketched quality really grabs me, like a fleeting memory or an encounter on the street. There is an openness, isn't there? Curator: Indeed, the rapid strokes and tonal variations delineate form while simultaneously dissolving it. Note the interplay between positive and negative space and how it articulates the subject's inner state. Editor: Almost as if the subject were caught in contemplation... Curator: Precisely. The gaze is averted, creating a sense of introspection. The composition and limited palette work in concert to elicit a feeling of solemnity. Editor: Yes, as if capturing the essence of a person through a mere glimpse of his exterior. It is really about what is not said, isn't it? Curator: Yes, I would concur, for within this modest work lies a profound meditation on identity, representation, and being. Editor: It nudges you to consider the stories etched into faces.