“The Beautyful Ones” Series #7 2018

Njideka Akunyili Crosby's "The Beautyful Ones" Series #7 is a knockout in colour, subject and technique. Look how she’s taken an unusual perspective, with the image cropped as if you are right up close to these yellow buses and the girl in the yellow t-shirt. I like to imagine Crosby in the studio, collaging, drawing, and painting the image. The paint is applied in thin, translucent layers that let light pass through—the same way that memory works. I wonder what she was thinking when she chose such a specific colour? Yellow is the colour of happiness, but in this scene, it feels kind of surreal. The girl stands with her arms crossed staring directly at the viewer—a gesture which communicates a kind of defiance, or maybe she is shy? Painters are always looking at each other's work, you know, consciously or unconsciously taking notes. Crosby is in conversation with other painters such as Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, who also paints portraits of Black figures that capture a unique sense of presence. It all comes down to mark-making. The beautiful ones, indeed.