A clear unspoken granted magic 2017

Curator: Let's turn our attention to Amy Sherald’s striking painting, “A clear unspoken granted magic,” completed in 2017 using acrylic on canvas. Editor: Oh, wow. Immediately, I feel a cool confidence radiating from her. It's something about the pose—arms crossed—combined with that crisp blue backdrop that creates such a contemporary visual aura, like she just walked off the cover of a hip literary magazine. Curator: Absolutely, there's a deliberate construction here. The cool, desaturated grayscale Sherald uses for the figure's skin tone is a consistent signature for the artist and asks the viewer to consider notions of race and identity. Against the vivid clothing, her skin almost takes on an ethereal quality. Editor: It’s such a simple move, the grayscale skin against such vibrant clothing—yet the symbolic effect is massive. Suddenly it feels like race isn't just a detail, but a realm for dreams and identity outside fixed social confines. I adore the retro pattern of the skirt mixed with that splash of floral on the scarf. What does the mixing of styles evoke for you? Curator: For me, that playful pattern clash speaks to a beautiful defiance. There is the bold houndstooth which reads as modern and then we have the retro scarf. It all suggests this layering of identity; there’s no single, easily defined essence to the woman in this painting. We read the individual in layers—experience mixing with presence. Editor: And that title—"A clear unspoken granted magic." It feels as though Sherald is hinting at something about the power of Black womanhood, unspoken but inherently understood. Curator: Precisely. There is magic—resilience and strength built through generations—present without a need for explanation. It's about inherent value. The composition seems to reinforce this. Her posture feels grounded and self-assured, taking up space with elegance and an almost quiet determination. Editor: The artist also really wants us to stop presuming any one definition suits her subject and that complexity can be where we actually perceive true depth and authentic connection, right? Curator: That's my takeaway, completely. Sherald doesn't hand us answers, but offers the possibility of new ways of seeing—to accept the unspoken as valid and whole. Editor: Well, I for one am definitely going to think twice before making assumptions based on appearance, and be open to the beautiful untold magic that's always in the room, everywhere.