Eli And Friend 2020

Cornelius Annor captured ‘Eli And Friend’ with paint and canvas. The figures emerge from the canvas with careful detail, while the background dissolves into abstraction. You can imagine the artist carefully building up the image, stroke by stroke, allowing the figures to emerge from a mist of pure potential. I can almost feel the artist’s hand at work, coaxing the paint across the canvas, deciding where to focus and where to let go. The patterned fabric, rendered in vibrant blues and browns, stands out against the stark white garment worn by the other figure. Look how the textured background creates depth and movement, pushing the figures forward. It reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's portraits of imagined figures. Annor is an artist who is clearly tuned into the conversations of painting today. We can all draw inspiration from these artists. What is art but an exchange of energy through form and color? This is the magic of painting, its ability to speak in the language of feeling, intuition, and ambiguity.