Trappers of Men 2006

Kent Monkman's painted this scene with oils, in what I imagine was a state of both reverence and critique. Look at how he’s taken the grand, sweeping gestures of the old masters and then twisted them, queered them, made them his own. It’s like he’s saying, “I see your landscape, and I’ll raise you one with a wink and a challenge.” The details in the foreground invite you in, making you wonder what the story is. Is it about longing, disruption, or maybe even a bit of mischief? Monkman is in conversation with art history, reimagining it through a contemporary lens. I can see him standing at his easel, brush in hand, wrestling with the weight of tradition while simultaneously carving out a space for new narratives. This piece is alive with questions and contradictions, and that's what makes it so compelling. It's a reminder that painting is never just about what’s on the canvas; it’s about the artist, their history, and the stories they’re trying to tell.