Countee Cullen 1925

Winold Reiss created this portrait of Countee Cullen, probably using pastels and pencils, in the early 20th century. The colors are muted, not realistic exactly, more like feelings. I love how the drawing feels unfinished, like a fleeting thought. Look at how the artist has rendered the bow tie with such detail, and then the shirt almost disappears. There's a tension between what is recorded and what remains unsaid, almost smudged away. It's this kind of ambiguity that I try to embrace in my own work; a painting isn't about answers, it's about posing questions. Reiss was interested in modernism and depicting different racial identities in America. He reminds me a little of Marsden Hartley, also interested in similar themes and the power of the unfinished. Art is this ongoing conversation, right? A kind of call and response across time.