The colors duke! the colors! Ever since I first saw Kehinde Wiley's art, I've been in love. He started out working in painting but recently switched to photography (I'm quite partial to his new stuff - the contrasts really pop). Both his paintings and photographs present young African-American men in the freshest new styles amidst vibrant, antiquated patterns (check out that turquoise tie! that rubiks cube belt!). The men assume theatrical poses reminiscent of famous western paintings from the 17th-19th century. Wiley thus rewrites history by inserting his contemporary black subjects into visual positions of power that they were previously denied. At the same time, the portraits, however aesthetically pleasing, seem absurd. The models appear to be mocking the effete, flowery motions of old and reminding us that "postures of power can sometimes be seen as just that, a pose” (Art in America). Beyond merely mocking the postures and the power of old white men that haunted these scenes, I think the models do something more bold. With a perspicacious look in their eye, they cooly inform the viewer that our cultural landscape has shifted. No longer do elite white men drive society; these men, with their extravagant of-the-moment clothing, posses their own power to define our cultural trends and, to an extent, our moment in history.
Kehinde Le Roi à la Chasse (2006)
Anthony van Dyck Le Roi à la Chasse (1635 - portrait of Charles I of England)
No comments:
Post a Comment