Poised, proud and predominant: Women deserving of remembrance
In a world where every voice has a megaphone, portrait artist Shana Wilson utilizes her creative skills and self-made platform to honour historical figures through art. With an oversized canvas, a palette of carefully mixed oil paint and a collection of brushes, Wilson paints powerful close-up portraits. Her portfolio mainly consists of women: poised, proud and diverse.
The people Wilson paints are often recognizable, well-known public figures—politicians and changemakers; those with legacies that will far outlast them, whether it be in a classroom syllabus or through the works of art they have created themselves. Wilson portrays each person in such a dignified way that even if they weren’t well-known, a viewer would likely still interpret them as powerful personalities with a keen sense of self-assurance and dignity.
When it comes to choosing who to paint, Wilson has no shortage of inspiration. “They choose me, I think. They are everywhere, doing great things, making the world a better place. I only wish I had more arms so I could pay tribute to more of them.”
Compositionally, Wilson’s work is outwardly interesting. She brings her subjects to life by capturing their distinct gaze. Each glare speaks to a unique and telling story. She applies basic photography rules to blend illustrative strength and aesthetic reasoning, especially by engaging the person’s dominant eye as an unmistakable focal point. In doing so, Wilson manages to capture pride, along with other profound emotions, through her subjects’ eyes.
Her acute awareness of the male-dominated nature of art history is evident in her work. “The historical works on the walls of major galleries and museums are painted by males, for the male gaze. The men are depicted in positions of power, and women coquettishly reclining on a chaise. It is so critical that children, when visiting artistic institutions, see female reflections that inspire,” says Wilson.
The choices she makes are a deliberate nod to the nobility of iconic women. Capturing their proud posture, intense gaze, and skin texture that reminds us that aging is a privilege, the level of esteem Wilson holds for the women she immortalizes on her canvases is undeniable.
Her accomplishments are many. Since 2011, Wilson has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the globe. For nearly two decades, scores of media outlets have written about or reported on her paintings that include portraits of trailblazers like Amelia Earhart, Jane Goodhall, and Gloria Steinem. Her most memorable professional achievement, however, is her portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that graced the cover of TIME magazine in 2020—an opportunity she almost missed by assuming the offer in her inbox was unsolicited spam.
Despite her impressive biography, her contribution to decommissioning the male gaze, and the work she does to uplift women, Wilson doesn’t see herself as she does the people on her canvases. “People don’t need to remember me. They need to remember the women that I paint, and all the good humans out there, of any gender, that are making the world a better place,” she says.
