Jefferson 2009

Curator: This is Kehinde Wiley’s striking 2009 painting, "Jefferson." Editor: Wow, what immediately strikes me is the floral wallpaper background juxtaposed with this very contemporary figure. There's a beautiful, unsettling tension there. Curator: Precisely! Wiley often references historical portraiture, subverting its traditional representations of power and privilege. This painting reimagines a Black man in the style of a grand manner portrait, challenging historical omissions. Editor: So, he's intentionally disrupting that historical canon. I'm also seeing how the pop art-esque style adds another layer. It elevates the everyday, giving a certain... royalty, almost... to the figure. And a definite challenge to accepted norms. Curator: The flowers, too, are incredibly important. They’re a signature element for Wiley, and are not just decorative. They often have specific symbolic meanings, rooted in art history, referencing status, beauty, and even mortality. Editor: Right, symbols layered upon symbols. The choice to depict him in a sports jersey is key. Basketball is culturally relevant here, it is really pushing back on historical exclusion by centering black athleticism as both strength and grace. I wonder if he picked the flower patterns for his skin-tone Curator: Wiley’s work often explores street casting; finding everyday individuals and positioning them within these classically inspired compositions. He encourages his models to choose poses from art historical sources. In "Jefferson," we see that influence clearly. It is meant to reclaim spaces, physically, historically and theoretically Editor: This portrait is more than an aesthetic experience, right? It’s a powerful act of reclamation. It forces us to reconsider who is represented, how they are represented, and, ultimately, who gets to define history. Wiley challenges those established hierarchies. Curator: Absolutely, Wiley’s artistic project has been and remains to intervene, complicate, and ultimately expand who gets a seat at the table in the narrative of art history. He really brings historical visibility into the 21st century. Editor: I’m now eager to go do some more homework of my own about it now—it really invites continued discourse, and that for me is why it makes a strong piece of activist artwork.