Chidera 2021

Monica Ikegwu made this painting called 'Chidera'. It’s a portrait in cool blues, with the kind of controlled brushwork that suggests the artist really took their time. It gives a sense of patience and, somehow, tenderness. The background reads like a rumpled sheet, yet the light, shadow and detail give it such form! It’s solid but soft. Like the rest of the painting, it’s neither hyper-real nor entirely representational. Notice how Ikegwu makes use of these contrasts throughout. The sitter’s dark hair and skin pop against the monochrome backdrop, with the blue tint creating a kind of double exposure effect. The way the light catches the bridge of the nose or the subtle sheen on the t-shirt tells us that this is a painting made with observation and intention. There’s something Hopper-esque in the way Ikegwu uses light and shade to create mood. But the contemporary subject matter and relaxed pose bring it right up to date. Art is never made in a vacuum; instead, it’s a conversation between the artist and the world around them, as well as the art of the past.