Innocent You. Innocent Me 2016

Here's a painting by Amy Sherald of a young person, made with acrylic on canvas. I can imagine Sherald beginning with that luscious, light blue background, flat and dreamy. The figure emerges, almost collaged, in the center. I wonder what it's like for her, mixing that grayscale to paint the figure’s face, neck, and hands? They give the painting a graphic quality, a contemporary pop. The young person is holding an ice cream cone, dressed in a yellow and white striped hoodie, layered over a t-shirt printed with cartoon characters. The painting feels both formal and playful. Amy Sherald builds on a long history of portrait painting, but the painting also speaks to the present moment. It reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye who is another painter who inspires me. All of us artists are in a constant conversation. Each brushstroke feels like a question, an invitation. There are no easy answers. What does it mean to see, to be seen? Painting lets us keep wondering about it.