Los Angeles-based artist Kehinde Wiley creates portraits that feature urban men in poses from classical paintings, rendered in vibrant pop colors. Here's a brief description from his bio:
Los Angeles native and New York-based visual artist Kehinde Wiley has firmly situated himself within art history's portrait painting tradition. As a contemporary descendent of a long line of portraitists--including Reynolds, Gainsborough, Titian, Ingres, and others--Wiley engages the signs and visual rhetoric of the heroic, powerful, majestic, and sublime in his representation of urban black and brown men found throughout the world.
Below is a selection of his amazing paintings (the first four images) and photographs from the Black Light series that show why Wiley has developed a world-wide following.
George, Lord Digby and William, Lord Russell, 2007 Oil on canvas by Kehinde WileyThe Three Graces, 2005 Oil and enamel on canvas by Kehinde WileyTriple Portrait of Charles I 2007 oil on canvas by Kehinde WileyMorpheus, 2008, Oil on Canvas by Kehinde WileyAlston Sajery, After Hans Holbein the Youngers Portrait of Simon George, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileyJerry Valdes, After Titians (Tiziano Vecellio) Repentant Mary Magdalene, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileySharrod Hosten, After Sir Joshua Reynolds Portrait of Samuel Johnson, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileyMark Shavers After Sir Anthony van Dycks Triple Portrait of Charles I, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileyKofi Graham, After El Grecos (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) The Annunciation, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileyJonathan Swinton, After John Singer Sargents The Countess of Rocksavage, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileyAlgorna Crawford, After Sir Joshua Reynolds Miss Susanna Gale, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileyAfter Pontormos Two Men with a Passage from Ciceros on Friendship, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 Kehinde WileyAfter Jean August Dominique Ingres The Virgin with the Host, Black Light series Photograph 2009 by Kehinde WileyKeyshawn Wamer, After Giovanni Bellinis St. Francis in the Desert, Black Light series, Photograph 2009 by Kehinde Wiley
2 Responses
cassandra
photogpher kehinde wiley and toni braxton
Valerie LaPlante
While moving to see on this website, go and see Wiley’s work at the Ringling Museum in St. Pete, FL to get the full effect:)