Description

Young's realist works reflect a tradition in American watercolor painting that stretches back to the 19th-century artists Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer and includes the 20th century realist Andrew Wyeth. Young, who is white, began to focus on African Americans, especially children, in the 1980s. His works are characterized by a technical mastery of watercolor, a profound attention to detail and tonal relation, and a strong emotional empathy with his subjects. On the back of this work Young explained the subject: "Quenton, now 14 years old. The scar on his right cheek becoming more apparent. Scarred, not only figuratively but emotionally from his environment."