Card Players 2022

Cornelius Annor made this painting, Card Players, using paint, and maybe other media too. The colours are bold, but also muted, like a faded photograph, and it’s clear that the surface has been built up in layers. What’s striking is how Annor uses pattern; in the wall hangings behind the figures, but also in their clothing. It's as if the subjects of the painting have been stitched together from different cloths. Look at how the squares on the left figure's trousers line up with the squares on his hat – it’s playful and makes you think about the surfaces of things. Then consider the jacket of the figure to the right. It is painted with a design, and the surface is slightly rough, like fabric. I’m reminded of Barkley L Hendricks, who also liked to focus on his figures and their clothing, and the ways in which what we wear becomes part of who we are. Ultimately, the painting allows us to ask questions about who these figures are, and what kind of world they inhabit.