Untitled

Untitled

Chris Ofili

1998

watercolor

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of a person wearing a dark hat and a bright, layered garment. The colors underneath are bold—deep reds, purples, and blues—with white lines tracing the edges of the collar and chest. The face is shadowy, with just two small eyes and a triangle shape on the forehead. The background is plain, with faint swirls around the edges. The artist used watercolor to blend the colors, letting them bleed softly into each other. The white outlines add sharpness to the smooth, painted areas. It’s simple but striking. Look up watercolor, glazing to see how artists build depth with layers.

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