Madame Paul-Louis Girardot De Vermenoux, Nee Anne-Germine Larrivee 2009

Kehinde Wiley made this portrait, Madame Paul-Louis Girardot De Vermenoux, Nee Anne-Germine Larrivee, with paint on canvas. Look at the light here: the whole painting seems to be built from glowing browns, reds and purples set against that zingy blue background. I love the way Wiley layers patterns, contrasting that flat, almost graphic background with the more dimensional figure. The robe drapes off her shoulder, with soft fleecy folds. See how the surface reflects light, almost like the nubbly texture of the fabric is really there. But then, bam, another flat pattern, of pink cranes and white clouds, echoed from the background. It’s like reality and decoration are playing hide-and-seek. That little flash of metallic gold around the hem is such a key. It highlights the artifice of the whole set-up, the theatricality of portraiture itself. Wiley loves to riff on history and remix ideas, a bit like Elizabeth Murray, another painter who created her own visual language. The conversation just keeps going, doesn't it?