Forest with Trees 2008

Kent Monkman painted this forest scene, with trees, at an unknown date and with unknown materials. The painting is super detailed, almost photographic, with layers upon layers of thin washes, except it's definitely not photographic, because of the naked figures lounging around, and their bright pinks and greens. The whiteness of the waterfall pouring down the rocks is created using a thick impasto, which gives the whole scene a tactile feel, like you could reach out and touch it. The smooth blending of the mountains in the background reminds me of 19th-century landscape painting, like Albert Bierstadt, but with a twist. Monkman is in dialogue with art history, and through this, he opens up new ways of seeing. He doesn't give us a fixed meaning, but rather lets us, invites us, to bring our own interpretations to the canvas. It's like he's saying, "Art is an ongoing conversation," and we're all invited to join in.