Yellow is a color for sunflowers and sunshine, not humans. In people, it’s the color of fever and cowardice. One would think. But of course, the yellow man is not yellow at all. His un-yellowishness—his expression the opposite of sunshine and flowers, his disconcerting fearlessness—rivets our eyes to his strong face, to his elegant, bony-yet-fleshy hand. We have all known people like this, maybe sometimes are like this ourselves: dissatisfied and self-satisfied and bundled up protectively in style. But however we may be tempted to read this man, we can't tear our gaze away from his stunning glow.

To receive a weekly summary of the MFAH 100 series rather than a daily email, please subscribe on my Substack blog The Impatient Reader.