Prentice looks like a no-nonsense woman. The depiction of her is simple, but it appears to capture some of her essential nature. Prentice looks smart, curious, and strong. But she also looks a little tired, like she’s been carrying a lot of weight. That she can bear it doesn’t make it any less heavy.
According to the thorough (and thoroughly helpful) accompanying text, Prentice’s portrait is the“central and defining work” of“Mickalene Thomas/Portrait of an Unlikely Space,” running now at the Yale University Art Gallery at 1111 Chapel St. through Jan. 7, 2024. The portrait“represents the domestic laborer in her mid-sixties.
