The Victor 2022

Lanise Howard’s painting ‘The Victor’ uses thin layers of oil paint to create an immersive and luminous scene. I can imagine Howard patiently building up the image through trial, error, and intuition. The figure stands calmly amidst the green foliage, gazing contemplatively off to the side. What could they be thinking? The light catches the contours of their face, the artist mapping form with subtle gradations of tone. The hands are gently clasped. The work invites us to consider painting as a form of embodied expression, which embraces ambiguity. The painting’s smoothness reminds me of those Renaissance portraits, like Bronzino, but the composition here, with its surreal foliage and hummingbird, feels very contemporary. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time. Each brushstroke embodies intention and emotion. There are multiple ways of interpreting art, but ultimately, it comes down to how it makes you feel.