Study for Artist and Model 2003

Kent Monkman made this painting, Study for Artist and Model, which wasn't dated, but I feel like it's speaking to me from across time. It’s got this dreamlike quality, the soft light and the kind of hyper-realism that almost feels surreal. I imagine Monkman standing there, brush in hand, figuring out how to bring together these two worlds – the classical landscape tradition and his own Cree heritage. What's it like for him to be both the artist and, in a way, the subject? The painting feels like a meditation on that duality. The surface is so smooth, the colors so carefully blended. It's like he's building up layer upon layer, not just of paint, but of meaning. It reminds me that every painting is a conversation, not just between the artist and the canvas, but between different ways of seeing. Monkman is in dialogue with art history, with his own identity, with the very act of representation itself. Painting allows for the embrace of ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own interpretations to the mix.