Henry is a genius, Williams said at the time.
Im talking truth today, Taylor tells me when we meet on Zoom to discuss the process.
Hes in his studio on Pico Boulevard in Downtown Los Angeles.
A LEG UP“What we need today,” says Taylor, who painted this issue’s cover portrait of Pharrell Williams, “is more humanity and less insanity.” Photographed by Ricardo Nagaoka.
Its noon there, and hes just finished his avocado-toast breakfast and is smoking a joint.
Im a Rasta, man.
I woke up playing Bob Marley.
SIMPLE AND SOULFULHenry Taylor,Michelle,2023, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Nicolas Brasseur.
Taylor has a hipness to him.
He knows himself, says Williams.
He just gets it.
POWER COUPLEHenry Taylor,Cicely and Miles Visit the Obamas,2017, acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Sam Kahn.
I ask Taylor why he included the words Human Made on Williamss baseball cap in theVoguecover portrait.
Hes hugely playful, and sings or growls the words.
Like Edgar Allan Poe said, I became insane with long intervals of sanity.
Yes, but then youve got Saturday.
Thats when you em-bellish!
Taylor is happy to share his rhythmic non sequiturs with whomever hes talking to.
His paintings are much the samefigurative, alive on the canvas, and totally unpredictable.
In the 70s, he wanted to be a fashion designer.
All my brothers had style, and my father did too.
But my mama had badass style.
When she walked into the church, theyd say, Oooo-o-o-o, look at Cora.
Taylor himself is stylish in a very unassuming way.
In one way or another, much of his output is portraiture.
SIMPLE AND SOULFULHenry Taylor,Michelle,2023, acrylic on canvas.
Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur.
Taylor had never painted Williams before this cover.
I dont normally do commissions, Taylor says.
What was the other one?
Barack Obama asked me to make a painting for Michelles birthday.
He didnt ask for a portrait, but I did one.
HisMichelle,2023, was shown in the recent Flight into Egypt show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Sometimes simple is best, and thats what I ended up doing, he says.
What I connected with was the fact that he grew up close to a beach.
I grew up close to the beach.
I thought about that, but I didnt want to overthink it.
POWER COUPLEHenry Taylor,Cicely and Miles Visit the Obamas,2017, acrylic on canvas.
Courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
Photo: Sam Kahn.
Taylor proceeds to tell me he was thinking about the masses as he made this portrait.
LikeVogues many millions of readers?
He ignores that: Not all the masses wear glasses, but I put him in a pair.
He shows me a different, small canvas, completely filled with a face in semi-profile.
I ended up scratching that.
It was a little bit tooneb-u-lous!
He continues: I like to be lost.
First, I want to get all the way out there.
Then, its like cleaning your closet.
You know what I mean?
