Mickalene Thomas

Known for her elaborate works composed with rhinestones, enamel and colorful acrylics, Thomas has created new works that introduce a complex vision of what it means to be a woman and expand common definitions of beauty. She has chosen her subjects for this body of work with an eye toward representations of women not typically seen in the canon of figurative painting. Drawing from her long study of art history and the classical genre of portraiture, she has infused her knowledge with more recent influences of popular culture and Pop Art. In her painting, A-E-I-O-U (And Sometimes Y), Thomas has brought her multi-panel format to a grand scale. Each of the 40 panels of this painting depict the larger-than-life visage of a woman rendered in black rhinestones. Ten of the panels have been graced with a fuller spectrum of color, but all 40 have the simplified form and palette characteristic of Andy Warhol. With the disrupted grid arrangement and the primary colors, Thomas has orchestrated a lyrical composition reminiscent of Piet Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie.(Lehmann Maupin Gallery)