Tue moi Yasmina 2011

Martial Raysse painted Tue moi Yasmina using bright colours and bold lines, and I’m guessing it was a real journey. I can almost feel the artist working on this, stepping back, squinting, and then diving back in, adding little bits of colour around the face like a halo. The blue skin tone is cool, like she's from another planet, or maybe she’s just feeling a little blue herself! Look at the bright red coat, it’s almost vibrating with energy. And the dark outlines of the eyes, the lips, they’re all saying something without saying anything at all. It reminds me a little of Alex Katz's portraits, that same kind of cool detachment, but with a touch more psychedelia. Painters are always looking at each other’s work and taking notes, you know, figuring out what works, what doesn’t, and how to push things further. It’s like a never-ending conversation, and we’re all invited to listen in.