Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

Kehinde Wiley

1. Untitled (2009)

2. Untitled(2009)

3. Kehinde Wiley Count Potocki, 2008 oil on canvas, 274.3 x 274.3cm

4. Kehinde Wiley Support Army and Look after People, 2007 oil on canvas, 258.4 x 227.3cm

Kehinde Wiley is a Gay American based painter born in Los Angeles, who has an international reputation. Wiley lives and practices between Beijing and Brooklyn.


This weeks ALVC class focuses on the Postmodern theme "INTERTEXTUALITY", re-read Extract 1 The death of the author on page 44 of your ALVC books and respond to the oil paintings of Kehinde Wiley.

1. Find a clear definition of Intertextuality and quote it accurately on your blog using the APA referencing system. Use your own words to explain the definition more thoroughly.

• "Intertextuality seems such a useful term because it foregrounds notions of relationality, interconnectedness and interdependence in modern cultural life. In the Postmodern epoch, theorists often claim, it is not possible any longer to speak of originality or the uniqueness of the artistic object, be it a painting or novel, since every artistic object is so clearly assembled from bits and pieces of already existent art."
  (Graham Allen, Intertextuality. Routledge, 2000)
• " No- one today - even for the first time - can read a famous novel or poem, look at a famous painting, drawing or sculpture, listen to a famous piece of music or watch a famous play or film without being conscious of the contexts in which the test had been reproduced, drawn upon, alluded to, parodied and so on... The concept of intertextuality reminds us that each text exists in relation the others". (Foucault1974,23)

2. Research Wiley's work and write a paragraph that analyzes how we might make sense of his work. Identify intertextuality in Wiley's work.

Wiley's potraits are of African American men, they have hip hop street style. His portraits are a fusion of modern culture with the olden day French Rococo and Renaissance paitnings. He mixes his portraits with famous ones for example Ice T sitting on a horse reminds us of the famous portrait of Napolean the ruler crossing St.Bernard Pass. Wiley aims to take African American men and depict them in a more uplifting light, he breaks down the stereotype and misconception that people associate with African American men. In his backgrounds he used baroque and rococo patterns mixing in European culture. His portraits are very intertexual because he takes the modern hip hop world and the olden day european world and fuses them together. He manages to make two things that are so opposite from each other harmonious.

To me Wiley is trying to say that these modern day African American deserve respect too, just like rulers like Napolean who got people to paint portraits of him to show his prominence and power. These modern day men are also accomplished and deserve recognition.

3. Wiley's work relates to next weeks Postmodern theme "PLURALISM" . Read page 51 and discuss how the work relates to this theme.

During modernity the visual culture of European people; usually male who had middle class status was highly venerated, and prioritized in art galleries. The other forms of visual culture left were historical or ethnic. There was a shift in the West towards post modernism, art critics were more interested in contemporary visual culture from other social groups; this shift if known as Pluralism. 

Wiley's work evidently relates to Pluralism because he is mixing elements from the most well known painting from the European world, with the culture of African American people. In his paintings they are the main subject, his art works are contemporary and mixes cultural identities. This is how Pluralism is seen in his work.

4. Comment on how Wiley's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview.

Wiley's work questions social hierarchies because, he depicts modern African American men in so called high or well respected positions. He does so by taking elements from European paintings done by old masters he replaces rulers like Napolean with hip hop styled black men.

In my opinion he is challenging the stereo typical western world view; which is that white people are more superior and any 'important' or 'upper class' people are white. Wiley challenges this idea by placing African American men in these important positions. There is no reason why they can't be just as important, successful or respected, he switches the hierarchy of the white and black race. He work also raises questions about globalization; which is the idea that the whole world would be equal and opportunities for growth would be the same throughout the earth. This is clearly seen in his paintings because he is showing his viewers that it is an equal playing field for both the white and black people, both races are have the potential, one is not greater than the other.
  5. Add some reflective comments of your own, which may add more information that
you have read during your research.

I've thoroughly enjoyed researching the works of Kehinde Wiley. I like the message he conveys in his paintings and also how he challenges the issues of cultural hierarchies, globalisation, stereotypes and so forth. He's paintings are not only have impact aesthetically, but also emotionally. It really makes the viewer think, personally I find to very refreshing and liberating because it shows how much the world has improved and moved forward we are breaking free from stereo types, and also cultural hierarchies.  I like the way in which he does this he uses bold colours and renders his subjects in a lively manner, so although he is addressing some serious issues he does it in a light hearted and non over bearing way.

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/kehinde-wiley/#/_http://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/paintings.html
http://www.cretique.com/archives/4012
http://www.deitch.com/artists/sub.php?artistId=11
http://www.thinkcontra.com/kehinde-wiley-on-current/