Thaw 2020

Monica Ikegwu made ‘Thaw’ using oil on canvas. The composition is split into two main colour blocks; the blue of the puffy jacket and the brown of the skin. It’s a cool palette, and I love the confidence of the pose, the subject with hands held up close to the face, and the penetrating stare. The blue of the jacket really emphasizes the warmness of the figure’s skin. Painting is a real act of empathy. As a painter, I put myself in Ikegwu's place. I can imagine her thinking about the contrast between the soft texture of the jacket and the smoothness of skin. The figure is presented with a great level of detail, and it must have taken so much work and patience to render. It reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye in the way it builds a figure out of a play of dark and light. All artists look at each other, past and present, it’s a kind of conversation through time. We respond to each other’s work, and we are all constantly learning from each other.