Daytime Smile 2022

This is Cornelius Annor's painting, Daytime Smile. Look at the way he's built the surfaces with paint, particularly in the background and the dress, how he’s layered the colours so they vibrate. You can sense the physical act of painting, the brushstrokes and the choices, like a dance on the canvas. Annor's application of paint, it's got this wonderful raw energy, like the painting is still in the process of becoming. See the way he’s handled the patterns on the woman's dress, how the texture and color create a kind of visual rhythm. It makes you wonder about the time and attention, but also the spontaneity, that went into each mark. Annor's work reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, particularly how she also thinks about portraiture, and her own mark-making in relation to the subjects she paints. Both artists revel in the ambiguity of painting, preferring questions over answers.