Jamaican-born artist Phillip Thomas was educated in his home country as well as the the New York Academy of Art, which has given him a dual perspective on the history of art. Motivated to rewrite the art historical cannon in which heroic depiction of Black men is largely missing, the artist's paintings revisit the great full-length portraiture tradition previously reserved for noblemen and clergy in European paintings. Borrowing from the postures and demeanor of the subjects in paintings by Diego Velázquez and Rembrandt, to name but a few, Phillip expands the field of portraiture to accommodate a more diverse and inclusive cast. In the current painting, a poised Black man is depicted in his grand parlor, hunting dog at his side, confidently and proudly occupying the entirety of the composition and the space around him.