Dacia Carter 2012

Kehinde Wiley paints Dacia Carter with oils, in a style that both nods to the grand tradition of portraiture and also totally turns it on its head. I can imagine Wiley in his studio, carefully layering the paint to capture the smooth, almost porcelain-like quality of Dacia’s skin, while at the same time thinking about how to set it off. He's not afraid to let the background buzz with life. He's weaving together art history with contemporary life, those delicate pink and blue blooms with the lush green leaves. The white dress, draped just so, with those ruffles! It's almost as if Wiley's saying, "Yeah, I can paint like the Old Masters, but I'm gonna do it my way, with my people, in my world." It's like he's pulling all these different threads, from different eras, different cultures, and weaving them together into something totally new. It's fresh!