Joao Caetano 2009

Kehinde Wiley made this painting, Joao Caetano, with a meticulous attention to detail that I can really appreciate as a painter myself! Look at the figure of this athletic young man, set against a riot of flowers. It's like he’s lifted from a classical painting and dropped into a field of pop art. I imagine Wiley must have been thinking about portraiture traditions, maybe even poking fun at them, while also celebrating contemporary life. There is such a fascinating combination of flat decorative patterns with the modeling of the figure. And those flowers—each one perfectly placed—are not just a backdrop but a part of the story. It's all layered and interwoven, much like how we piece together our own narratives through art. It's a conversation across time and styles.