patrick -- i like this recent image better than the previous one with the text, it appears, at least on the screen, to have a more dark, complex palette. but somehow the looser underpainting is moving you away from the medieval art reference. is this what you want? i liked that you were exploring historical painting and trying to paint immediate, current events with stiff imagery and symbolism. you're floating a bit now. the imagery is too anonymous to read either as referencing older painting or based on current events. i think you need to use clearer references from both sources in order to make the work more contemporary. in other words, you have to come to terms with the fact that contemporary painting is driven by ideas and conceptualism.

take a look at how these painters combine old and new:
1) Kehinde Wiley
2) Philip Guston

w