The Institution 2020

Kent Monkman made this compelling piece, *The Institution*, with oil on canvas. Look at the way he lays down the paint, building up layers of translucent color to create a sense of depth and movement. It’s almost like he’s choreographing a scene rather than just painting it. The textures are really what get me, though. In the upper left, see the angel floating, pointing? The delicate washes of white and grey give such a sense of weightlessness compared to the solid blocks of ochre and blue that make up the walls and uniforms. It’s like freedom against constraint, spirituality against the mundane. The contrast isn't just visual, it’s visceral. Monkman is in conversation with history painting here; maybe Delacroix, maybe Gericault, and he uses paint to amplify the emotional weight of his subject matter. It’s a messy, gorgeous, and deeply affecting take on power, bodies, and the spaces that confine us.