Kehinde Wiley at The National Portrait Gallery

by Claire Feng
Ice T, 8' x 6', 2005

When I began to paint several years ago, one of my professors said to me that a painter should never paint a person like a car body (meaning “no shining please!”). Well, there are a lot of shiny things in Kehinde Wiley’s portrait paintings: patterns, skin, accessories, frame… and he is being exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery!
(Here is more proof that one should always be wary of a professor’s doctrine.)

All these paintings are large-scale portraits of life-size or larger than life black men,, copying postures from old masters’ portrait paintings of 17th and 18th
centuries. Inside the gold frames, these figures are surrounded by decorative patterns (which sometimes run in front of the figure’s body). The colors are bright; the painting technique is smooth and glossy. All these paintings radiate splendor (what a triumph of the painting!).

My triumphal feeling is accompanied by a kind of frustration. These works are done in such a smooth and celebrating way (which reminds me the portraits of our great leaders in China, one of them is always hung at the gate of the Tian An Men Square) that they are far from the old masters’ way of painting. I just didn’t get the joy of looking at a Van Dyck or a Frans Hals, even though the figure is exactly taking the same posture. Ok, that’s too personal. Am I forgetting that we are in the 21th century? And it’s a social work reflecting hip-hop culture? And it’s about appropriating the traditional portrait language and about criticizing it? Higher level of reading please!

After all, they are well done paintings, and more, done from digital photographs after manipulations in Photoshop (I know it from a Kehinde Wiley’s interview). I don’t know why but that comforts me… But wait, he has found the right subject(s): black American identity, the social function of art, the criticizing of something, and even the theme of Masculinity if we search a little bit more! My comfort was short.

Big Daddy Kane, 6' x 8', 2005

I think the most interesting part of his work is that all these subjects are explored (or more precisely, read by the viewer) in an uncommon way. He makes the traditional portraiture language, which was a privilege limited to wealthy men, a democratic right shared by urban black men. (I guess this democracy remains symbolic as still only wealthy people can afford his paintings.) My last reflection is, “should a portrait painting always fulfill a social function?” Kehinde Wiley obviously answers the question, but in front of his paintings I am in front of a symbol, an archetype, not a human being as an individual. They are figures, not people.

Paintings of Kehinde Wiley from the exhibition of “Recognize!” Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture in the National Portrait Gallery (Feb. 8 – Oct. 26, 2008)(Kehinde Wiley's website)

Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery

Kehinde Wiley, "Three Graces," oil on canvas

By Zac Willis

"Recognize!," a show at the National Portrait Gallery, is a contemporary look at portraiture in the hip hop world. The show consists of photographs, paintings, video, installation and graffiti. Overall, the show was nicely arranged. The flow of layout worked well for what was being shown and for whom it was being shown too. It showcased a selected number of artists whom are known for works associated with the hip hop community. The structure in which the show was arranged allowed for nice mixture of mediums to be shown together and not overpower one another.

One of the main reasons I wanted to see the show was because of Kehinde Wiley’s large oil on canvas paintings. I had not heard about him until recently when he was featured in several magazines and there was buzz about him in the graduate hall. So I started researching and examining his work. The colors, the scale and the ornate backgrounds immediately impressed me. The paintings where very exciting to see in print and on the computer. After discovering that there was going to be six of his works at the National Portrait Gallery I knew that I had to see the work.

After weeks of waiting I was anticipating seeing how amazing these works really were. I arrived at the museum and prepared myself for what I was hoping was going to be an awesome experience. Finally I was looking at these large oil paintings of African Americans stylized with ornate patterns. It was everything I had thought it to be except for one thing: the quality of the work. When I approached I did not notice, but as I got closer, I started to see the quality of line and just how fast or carelessly the work was painted. Upon seeing this, I changed my opinion about the work. I had such high expectations of the pieces. Seeing the paintings for the first time and realizing the inconsistencies, I became disappointed by the work. This made me examine the tactics being used in this work.

Wiley’s work is clearly made to be viewed at a distance or in print. One can not say that the work is not eye candy, but after seeing the work in person I understood what type of eye candy it was, the kind of work that is reproduced easily. I felt like I was in a trance. I was turned on by the works for their beauty and that alone. I did not look at the idea behind the work, or even consider what Wiley might be trying to say with the work. I got lost in the colors and patterns. After seeing them, I felt like I was jolted out of my trance by the fact that they are not painted with as high a degree of craft as I was expecting. After this happened, I started to question Wiley's ideas and why exactly he was painting these. The paintings fell short after I dismissed the craft. There is nothing left as far as a concept for the work other than the quick read and that first wow factor of how aesthetically pleasing they are. Where does that leave the work and where does he go from here? I am sure he is going to keep making these and will continue to sell these works. Despite an artist's becoming famous, he or she should not forget his or her craft.