Blog Post #3 Kehinde Wiley

Wiley uses a lot of different patterns in the background of his paintings. The patterns are very paisley-esque but without the recurrence of the main pattern. Also the actual poses of the subjects are very traditional and classic.

Paisley



Baroque Pattern

In the top painting, the three men are all somehow touching each other and the middle man is faced backwards. They are also holding apples which, in the Baroque period, fruit (especially apples) were seen as a source of knowledge and life. The apple is an allusion to the tree of knowledge and to Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis.


The second painting is shaped with an arch at the top which was very typical of frescoes and painting of the Baroque and Classical era. The man is in a pose similar to that of many angels depicted in that period, gazing up toward the sky, reaching toward the heavens. It's interesting to see a subject of what looks like a classical painting wearing a modern outfit.

The last painting again has the traditional pattern in the background and the man seems to be holding a key of some sort. The key would be another allusion to knowledge and the way his hands are lightly holding it would mean that the man is showing reverence to the object.

I like Wiley's paintings, I think they are a very interesting interpretation of classical art. I also think that it's really cool that he uses black subjects because none of the paintings of that era would ever depict a person of color as the main subjects. I think it's cool that Wiley is including the Baroque period and making it, in effect, a part of black culture.