Officer Of The Hussars 2007

Kehinde Wiley made this painting, "Officer of the Hussars", with oil on canvas, and look at the way it's painted! Everything’s so smooth, almost like a photograph, but with these wild, decorative patterns popping out. It's like he’s thinking about how paintings can be both real and totally made up at the same time. I'm really drawn to how Wiley uses color here. The red in the background is so intense, right? And then you’ve got the cool blues of the jeans against the warm tones of the horse and the gold leaf. Check out the way he renders the fabric, like the leopard print, it's not just a flat surface. You can almost feel the texture, the weight of it. I also love the juxtaposition of the ornamental details with the contemporary clothing of the figure. Wiley reminds me of artists like Jeff Koons, who also play with high and low culture. What I love about art like this is that it's not about giving you one clear answer. It's about opening up a space for questions and possibilities.