Blue Bliss 2018

Monica Ikegwu's painting 'Blue Bliss' is a portal into the artist’s vision, realized on canvas with oils. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the surface, responding to the model, the way the light shapes his form, building the image with layers of colour. I can imagine Ikegwu thinking about line, tone, and form, carefully mixing her pigments to capture just the right hue. She’s really exploring the materiality of paint, its ability to convey texture, light, and depth. The way the light catches the blue of his bomber jacket is so skillful. The artist really understands the qualities of the fabric itself, the way the stitches capture and play with the light. Painters are always referencing one another across time. Here I am reminded of other portraits – Alice Neel, Barkley Hendricks – artists thinking through how to capture the essence of an individual. Each of these paintings are part of a dialogue, each brushstroke a response to the conversations between artists across time.