Kehinde Wiley Analysis

Dysfunction: The Art of Kehinde Wiley You sit down in your typical Art History 101 class to find portrait after portrait of European white males of the elite flash before your eyes- this is nothing new, these men are stiff and powerful and rich. These images are what we think of when we think of portraiture. But then we stumble upon Kehinde Wiley a few centuries later and what do we find? We are confronted with a visual playground of color, shapes, as well as subject matter that extends far beyond what we are accustomed to. Kehinde Wiley presents a deviation from those norms by presenting theatrical portraits of young contemporary African American men using references from seventeenth to nineteenth century western art, and in doing so creates

The model is dressed in everyday clothing based on contemporary notions of hip-hop style and assumes a pose that is reminiscent of 17th century portraiture, particularly that of Sir Anthony Van Dycks’. The figure assumes three slightly varied poses, giving a three-quarter profile, a full profile and a straight to the viewer perspective. By using old master portraits as a reference, Wiley tackles socio-political history by quoting historical sources and in doing so positions the young black male within the field of power. These large-scale figurative paintings are illuminated with Wiley’s signature baroque and rococo decorative patterns. This triple portrait of Charles I is representative of the figure’s performative and personal aspect of his character, creating an alluring engagement between the viewer and the subject

This particular painting is exaggerated in both size and scale as it stands at over nine feet. The high-keyed cinematic color highlights Wiley’s interest in the aestheticization of power and masculinity. We see a clash of centuries and societies as the figures are taken out of context and placed in one that creates a charged non-space outside of time. Wiley creates a surrealistic landscape of whimsical color within a minimal landscape with subject matter of men that Wiley met on the streets of Harlem, New York. These men are most likely members of the same crew or gang from Harlem, with the leader of the pack chosen to be riding the horse. He is the central figure of power and these men look to him for advice, guidance and