Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality
Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley
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| 3. Kehinde Wiley Count Potocki, 2008 oil on canvas, 274.3 x 274.3cm |
Kahinde 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 39 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 refers to the way that any one text (written or visual) is influenced, or made up of a variety of other earlier texts. As a result, the notion of intertexuality suggests that whenever we try to make sense of a text (written or visual) we are constantly referring back to our understanding of its influences to help us understand it. - ALVC resource book (2011). intertextuality, p.36
This means that when we come across a text, such as Wiley's work (seen above), we can see that the idea has come from or is similar to a painting by Jacques-Louis David which was painted in 1800. This reference or use of idea is what we know as 'Intertextuality'.
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.
His painting style can be compared to other traditional artists such as Reynolds, Gainsborough, Titian and Ingres and appropriates the signs and visual rhetoric of the heroic, powerful, opulent, majestic, and sublime in his representations of young, urban, black men. (Kehinde Wiley, 2011)
His paintings are both traditional and contemporary modes of representation. Rendered in a realistic mode –– while making references to specific old master paintings. (Kehinde Wiley, 2011)
We can see this by comparing one of Wiley's paintings with an earlier painting of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David (1800). The idea of Wiley's painting has been clearly referenced from this painting, where as in his version of Napoleon it is an African American man dressed in modern clothes.
3. Wiley's work relates to next weeks Postmodern theme "PLURALISM" . Read page 46 and discuss how the work relates to this theme.
According to Caldwell (1999):
Pluralism in art refers to the nature of art forms and artists as diverse. The Cultural context of art is all encompassing in it's respect for the art of the world's cultures. Inclusion of individuals of differing ethnicities, genders, ideologies, abilities, ages, religions, economic status and educational levels is valued. Pluralism honors differences within and between equitable groups while seeing their commonalities. (para1). -ALVC resource book (2011). Pluralism,the Treaty of Waitangi and Globalization, p.46
His work relates to pluralism in a sense of differing ethnicities and economic status. By painting African American men on horses gives that sense of equality and that 'black men' can be also be depicted as heroic and of a high class and not just the stereotyped 'white society'.
4. Comment on how Wiley's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview.
According to Caldwell (1999):
Pluralism in art refers to the nature of art forms and artists as diverse. The Cultural context of art is all encompassing in it's respect for the art of the world's cultures. Inclusion of individuals of differing ethnicities, genders, ideologies, abilities, ages, religions, economic status and educational levels is valued. Pluralism honors differences within and between equitable groups while seeing their commonalities. (para1). -ALVC resource book (2011). Pluralism,the Treaty of Waitangi and Globalization, p.46
His work relates to pluralism in a sense of differing ethnicities and economic status. By painting African American men on horses gives that sense of equality and that 'black men' can be also be depicted as heroic and of a high class and not just the stereotyped 'white society'.
4. Comment on how Wiley's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview.
In his paintings we see that he paints young urban black men in heroic poses which give them a sense of power. In the paintings seen above we are given these images of African American men portrayed in a fantasy-like, majestic sense and his idea of taking a fusion of styles from different periods (which are mainly associated with the white society) and referencing them in his paintings and associating them with 'black people', it conflicts with racism. I see this as a firm statement to the white society that everyone in this world should be treated equally, no matter what colour or race you are.
5. Add some reflective comments of your own, which may add more information that
you have read during your research.
Reference list:
http://www.cretique.com/archives/4012
http://www.deitch.com/artists/sub.php?artistId=11
AUT University. (2011). Academic Literacies in Visual Communications 2: Resource Book. New Zealand, Auckland: Lyceum Press
http://www.artnet.com/awc/kehinde-wiley.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehinde_Wiley
"His work relates to pluralism in a sense of differing ethnicities and economic status. By painting African American men on horses gives that sense of equality and that 'black men' can be also be depicted as heroic and of a high class and not just the stereotyped 'white society'." I think is a nice way that you have put this Wiley is trying to have a play with peoples minds to take them away from what has done before and what are societies normalities, we would never see a black man in a renaissance history painting portrait in a high class society where as now there are a lot of black men who have made it in the world and are as equal and supierior to the white race. He is showing the success of some hip-hop artists by putting them in a renaissance heroic stance and making them unrealistically larger than the normal human, showing power. In the sense that he relates to pluralism is the fact that he is combining two different cultures and different worlds together, it has a humorous sense the painting having hip-hop artists or rappers on horses and in a pretentious white word.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentiond 'power' and how the pose makes the model powerful. Giving them more meaning due to them being of a darker colour. These poses are great and the concept of the pose gives the viewer a feeling of how a white person. Wiley feels like he has to bring a black man into a white mans world by giving him a horse. The horse is very symbolic by having a black man on a horse is very strange and makes the viewer think twice and make them look twice.
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