I enjoyed reading Belinda’s paper on Kehinde Wiley, because it was both informative and very interesting. Unlike most of the painters we examined in class, Wiley is a contemporary painter who began his career in the early 2000s. The fact that Wiley’s work is relevant to present-day society makes it all the more intriguing. Belinda begins by explaining Wiley’s motivation as a drive to change the aesthetic stereotypes of classical Western art. Wiley did this by replacing the faces of white aristocratic men with those of average black men. One example of this is Wiley’s adaptation of “Napoleon Crossing the Alps,” in which a young black man dressed in contemporary clothing is depicted as Napoleon. Belinda did a great job in explaining the significance of Wiley’s work. By painting African men and women in the same noble manner as Europeans, Wiley is challenging the political and societal representation of African Americans. I think that this relates to our course theme of social justice. Kehinde Wiley is effectively addressing the disparity in which whites and non-whites are portrayed in art.
I enjoyed reading Belinda’s paper on Kehinde Wiley, because it was both informative and very interesting. Unlike most of the painters we examined in class, Wiley is a contemporary painter who began his career in the early 2000s. The fact that Wiley’s work is relevant to present-day society makes it all the more intriguing. Belinda begins by explaining Wiley’s motivation as a drive to change the aesthetic stereotypes of classical Western art. Wiley did this by replacing the faces of white aristocratic men with those of average black men. One example of this is Wiley’s adaptation of “Napoleon Crossing the Alps,” in which a young black man dressed in contemporary clothing is depicted as Napoleon. Belinda did a great job in explaining the significance of Wiley’s work. By painting African men and women in the same noble manner as Europeans, Wiley is challenging the political and societal representation of African Americans. I think that this relates to our course theme of social justice. Kehinde Wiley is effectively addressing the disparity in which whites and non-whites are portrayed in art.