Light is easy to love. 2017

Amy Sherald made this painting, "Light is easy to love." and the title alone is a conversation starter. It pulls you in with its flat planes of color, that bold pink, almost like a stage backdrop, and then the denim blue of the sweater. There's something about Sherald’s palette that feels both familiar and strange, you know? She's playing with how we see color and how that affects our read of the figure. The grey scale skin tone is fascinating, it flattens the figure, creating a striking contrast to the cherry red motifs and the almost hyper-realism of the clothing. The surface is so smooth, you can hardly see a brushstroke, it's like the image just appeared there. Look at how the cherries are arranged, a playful pattern that suggests a deeper narrative about visibility and presence. Sherald's work always reminds me of Barkley Hendricks, both share a similar interest in portraiture and representation. It's like she’s inviting us to reconsider who gets seen and how they are seen. It's not about answers, but about keeping the conversation open.