Louis XIV Of France 2014

Kehinde Wiley painted "Louis XIV of France" as part of his ongoing project of recasting historical portraiture with contemporary Black figures. Look at the way Wiley’s model confidently holds that yellow staff, reminiscent of a royal scepter! The background is a flat, decorative pattern, which contrasts sharply with the realism of the figure. The paint application is smooth, almost airbrushed in places, giving it a slick, contemporary feel. But then, in other areas, like the flowers on her sweater, there's a deliberate, almost clumsy application of paint, disrupting the surface. It's a push and pull between representation and abstraction. Wiley’s work always reminds me of artists like Mickalene Thomas, who also play with ideas of identity, representation, and the decorative. It’s all part of this amazing conversation across time, where artists are constantly borrowing, remixing, and reimagining the world around them. In the end, it’s the painting that decides what it wants to be, not us.