2nd image: St. Andrew, 2006, oil on canvas
3rd image: The Capture of Juilers, 2006, oil and enamel on canvas
You cannot look at Kehinde Wiley's work without being intrigued. The shock value of each of her paintings and prints locks you in for at least 30 seconds. The complexity of her work shines through her use of intense detail and imagery, but also in the powerful opinions her work displays. Most of her work is portraiture of black men, all in various settings. The overall theme is realistically rendered portraits laid on top of a graphic background, many of which appeal to the standard appearance of wall paper designs. After looking over her pieces I especially like the way she integrates the background with the foreground, always having them overlap in some way or on some part of the painting. Wiley attacks strong political and societal issues head on, as depicted in all three of these works. The power of her images correlates very closely to the passion she has about these issues. Rather than making the paintings come off in a purely serious manner, they capture a humor that is also very evident. The figures strongly juxtapose their backgrounds which is the initial thought provoking part of the pieces. These works portray a lot of what modern portraiture is: branching out from the work of past artists but also using their skill in rendering and referencing the figure.
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