September, 2025

In the crowded world of contemporary art, where spectacle often overshadows sincerity, Jordan Casteel has emerged as one of the most vital painters of her generation. Her large-scale portraits of neighbors, family members, and community figures don’t just capture likeness — they restore presence to Black life in spaces where it has historically been excluded.

Born in 1989 in Denver, Casteel studied at Yale before moving to Harlem, where she began painting the people around her: men sitting on stoops, friends in their apartments, small business owners behind counters. Her approach is deeply relational — she takes the time to sit with her subjects, hear their stories, and build trust before ever picking up her brush.

The Power of the Gaze

Casteel’s portraits command attention through their scale, often eight feet tall. Viewers find themselves eye to eye with people who are rarely depicted with such dignity in Western painting traditions. The direct gaze of her sitters challenges art audiences to acknowledge, rather than glance past, everyday Black existence.

Art critics have drawn connections between her work and the Harlem Renaissance, yet her practice is distinctly 21st-century — deeply rooted in intimacy, visibility, and reclaiming narrative.

Beyond the Canvas

In 2020, the New Museum in New York hosted Within Reach, Casteel’s first solo museum exhibition. It featured dozens of her portraits, including those of Harlem street vendors, subway riders, and family members, creating a living archive of the community. In 2022, she painted a portrait of Aurora James, founder of Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, for the September Issue of Vogue — a rare moment where fashion, activism, and fine art converged.

Her art is also pedagogical: as a professor at Rutgers University, she mentors young artists, particularly women and artists of color, who rarely see themselves reflected in art history syllabi.

Why Her Work Matters Now

In a cultural climate grappling with representation and equity, Jordan Casteel’s portraits are both personal and political. They challenge hierarchies of visibility, arguing that neighbors, family, and local shopkeepers are just as worthy of monumental depiction as kings and aristocrats.

Her practice reflects a broader shift among BIPOC creatives who are reshaping cultural canons across disciplines: telling stories that resist erasure, building archives for the future, and making art that is inseparable from community.

Final Note

Jordan Casteel isn’t just painting portraits — she’s painting history in real time. Her work reminds us that cultural spotlighting is more than recognition; it’s about ensuring the stories of everyday Black lives shine in the institutions that once excluded them.