The girl next door 2019

Amy Sherald gives us a portrait of ‘the girl next door’ with her signature smooth surfaces and muted greyscale skin tones offset against bold and colourful clothing, all suspended in a vibrant turquoise background. I'm thinking about the artist setting out her colours, loading her brush just so. Placing those primary coloured spots on that pristine white dress, one by one, and just imagining the meticulousness and care it must have taken, to build up this painting in layers. Sherald is playing with tradition, she gives us a formal composition, but her interest in pattern and flattening also reminds me of someone like Matisse. It’s all contained by that bright red belt, cinching the figure within the painting. The dress billows out and has a real presence, like it’s actually breathing. It makes me feel like painting is an ongoing conversation, the way artists like Amy Sherald keep innovating and building on what’s come before.