Portrait of Black Madonna 1987

Benny Andrews made this ‘Portrait of Black Madonna’ with paint and collage, building up an image that’s both immediate and deeply felt. The colors are muted, grounded – that dusky rose background, the ochre table – they create a stillness, a kind of quiet contemplation. I think the artist sees the sitter with great dignity, doesn’t he? The way he paints her hands, clasped in her lap, there is a quiet strength. And those flowers! Like little bursts of joy, they sit there, vibrant and alive, a counterpoint to the stillness of the figure. Andrews makes it look so simple, but I bet it took a lot of looking. You can feel him figuring things out as he goes, placing the collage elements just so. It reminds me how much painting is about conversation, Andrews talking to other artists across time. This painting shows how art is a way of asking questions, of staying open to the unknown.