The Deposition 2014

Kent Monkman's 'The Deposition' is a painting that throws a classical scene into a contemporary light, probably made with oils. There's a kind of tension between the smooth blending of skin tones in the figures and the rougher, almost distressed texture of the building in the background. The colors are muted, almost as if a classical painting is fading. But then you have this bright turquoise shirt that jolts you back to the present. I can't help but zoom in on the wall behind the figures. There’s this faded drawing, like a ghost of something that was once there. It's like Monkman's reminding us that history, even when it's erased, still leaves a trace. The crows, the dogs...it all feels a bit like Goya, but with a modern twist. It is as if he's asking us to consider the weight of the past on our present.