Rag it Up 2019

Monica Ikegwu painted “Rag it Up” with what looks like thin layers of oil paint. The color palette is fairly muted, but used so well, so carefully. Look at how Ikegwu uses light to sculpt the figure’s face. It’s as though the light itself is a tangible material, like clay. The smooth gradations of tone give the figure a kind of quiet dignity. I’m really drawn to the way she renders the texture of the beard, each hair seemingly painted with individual attention. But it’s the fabric of the headscarf that really grabs me. The way it folds and drapes, the subtle shifts in color that suggest both form and light. You can see the process of painting laid bare, where each brushstroke feels like a decision, an attempt to capture something fleeting and true. This reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye. Both artists share a certain sensitivity to the nuances of skin tone, and a gift for capturing the quiet dignity of their subjects. With Ikegwu, like with all great artists, it’s in the process of looking, of really seeing, that meaning begins to unfold.