De Style 1993

Kerry James Marshall painted "De Style" with acrylic and collage on canvas, but you could be forgiven for thinking it was made with house paint. The marks and colors here are quite flat, and laid down in an open and direct way. The matte surface feels very immediate, like you could reach out and touch it - and in the barbershop setting, this directness, and openness is key. There are so many details, like the layering of the white trainers, or the carefully rendered tile floor. It reminds me a little of Stuart Davis, in the way that he makes everything so present and readable. Like in Davis’ work, this clarity allows for lots of ambiguity. The question "what is style?", posed by the sign in the mirror, feels very open ended. It’s like Marshall is saying, style is all these things, all at once, and then more.