Jacqueline Onassis 5 - 1968

This is an image of Jacqueline Onassis, made by an anonymous artist who was clearly working with mixed media and a sense of freedom. The artist has layered paint and graphic marks over what seems to be a printed image. Look at the way the white paint is applied around the edges, like a frame that both contains and comments on the image. There’s a gestural quality to the marks, like the up arrow, the letter ‘K’ in pale blue, and the scribbles on the left, which feels immediate and impulsive. Then there’s the solid black paint obliterating the lower part of the figure, which is kind of jarring. What I love here is how the artist isn’t precious. They're willing to mess with the image, to disrupt our reading of it. It reminds me a little of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, who combined text and image in a raw, expressive way, but this piece has a quieter, more introspective vibe. It's a reminder that art is always a conversation, a layering of ideas and gestures across time.