Kehindi Wiley
Kehindi Wiley is best known for painting young Black people he encounters and placing them in revamped versions of traditional portraits.
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The glory, power, and prestige once reserved only for White subjects is transferred to modern Black men and women wearing everyday clothing.
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His paintings fuse the past and present in ways that force us to confront our notions of wealth, importance, race, and gender.
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Information from Art Class Curator
More about the artist:
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Born: 1977, Los Angeles, CA
Resides: New York and Beijing
Education: 2001 MFA, Yale University, School of Art, New Haven, CT
1999 BFA, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
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Awards:
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2015 US Department of State Medal of Arts
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2014 The Brooklyn Museum Asher B. Durand Award for Artistic Achievement
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2013 American Federation for Arts Cultural Leadership Award 2012 Pratt Legend Award
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2011 New York City Art Teachers Association/United Federation of Teachers, Artist of the Year Award
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2011 Canteen Magazine, Artist of the Year Award
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2010 USA Network, Character Approved Award
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2008 Americans for the Arts, Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence
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2002 Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant Recipient Studio Museum Harlem, Artist in Residence
Watch the video below to learn about Wiley's portraits, why and how he creates his extraordinary paintings.
Kehinde Wiley was chosen to paint President Barack Obama's Presidential Portrait. It is a great honor to be chosen to paint the sitting President's portrait for two big reasons:
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1. The artist gets to work with the President!
2. The portrait will remain in the National Portrait Gallery along with all of the other Presidential Portraits!
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Wiley's use of ornamental backgrounds surely sets this portrait apart.
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“There is a political and racial context behind everything that I do. Not always because I design it that way, or because I want it that way, but rather because it's just the way people look at the work of an African-American artist in this country.”
Kehinde Wiley
Check this out!
Kehindi Wiley re-imagines a "traditional" painting and who represents power and wealth.
Stained glass pieces
Pictured here is "Saint Ursula and the virgin martyrs," originally from 1535, alongside Kehinde Wiley's modern-day version from 2014.
Compare and contrast the two paintings to the right.
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What do they have in common?
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What are the differences? Are they subtle or blunt?
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Can you spot any symbolism? (There is A TON!)
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More stained glass work:
Learning Target:
After discussing and exploring artist Kehinde Wiley, I can reflect and connect Wiley's version of Mary Comforter of the Afflicted and the original.
Mary Comforter of the Afflicted
Re-imagined by Kehinde Wiley
Check this out!
Discussion Questions
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Answer the following questions. Be sure to use evidence found in the artwork to back up your analysis.
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What’s going on here? What do you see that makes you say that?
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Who is this man? What is he doing?
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Explain the expression on his face. What do you think he is thinking?
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What symbols do you notice in this artwork? (Note the Illuminati eye, shackles, blindfold, and the feather headdress.) What could these things symbolize?
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What does afflicted mean? How do you see “Afflicted” in this artwork?
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Examine each character in the artwork (or use one of the activities below). Who are they? What do they think/feel?
Re-Imagined
In the artwork the the right, Wiley uses religious iconography and modifies it to fit today.
He replaced Mary, a symbol of comfort, protection, and virtue in Christianity, with a black man holding a child.
Original
Now that we've spent some time with Kehinde Wiley and his work, click the link to the right and complete the Reflect and Connect Worksheet.
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Use artwork Mary the Comforter of the Afflicted for this assignment. You may answer the questions from the worksheet in a separate document.
