She had an inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew how not to mix them 2018

Curator: Amy Sherald painted this arresting portrait in 2018. It’s titled “She had an inside and an outside now and suddenly she knew how not to mix them." Editor: The flatness of the image immediately strikes me. It's so deliberate. Acrylic on canvas, yes? I imagine that texture really emphasizes the artifice. Curator: Precisely. And consider the symbolic weight of those grey-scaled features against the bold clothing. It’s classic Sherald, challenging how we perceive identity. Editor: Absolutely. Her material choices amplify that, right? The paint application itself lacks depth; there’s minimal blending to create volume. Instead, she emphasizes line and color blocking. I’m also drawn to the floral fabric on her pants. The material signifies consumerism and taste. What does it suggest to you? Curator: I think it speaks volumes. The flowers contrast sharply with the subject's monochrome skin. Perhaps the blooms represent her vibrant inner self finally coming into harmony with her public presentation. Those pearls are fascinating, too. Editor: Those faux pearls have such an interesting relationship to the body; they draw attention to artifice but read as a signifier of feminine presentation through a very mass-produced item. Curator: You’ve reminded me that within some cultures, pearls represent purity and wisdom, reflecting a certain social performance that might weigh on the subject. She "knows how not to mix them," yet the outward signs of material wealth are displayed in this portrait. Editor: Exactly. So how much of this is actually controlled by her or informed by external perceptions? The flat background color – the way she creates the image – emphasizes this detachment, suggesting a critique of the external pressures influencing her identity. The flatness undermines any illusion. It’s an incredibly contemporary take, forcing the viewer to grapple with surface versus substance. Curator: It does feel almost iconographic, doesn’t it? An image designed for contemplation, its simplicity urging us to confront deeply embedded societal expectations. The painting makes a powerful statement about what it means to navigate interior and exterior identities. Editor: It reframes "identity," I believe, within the systems that define it.