John-Churchill-Duke-Of-Marlborough II 2012

Kehinde Wiley painted this portrait. Just look at the color and pattern on the background fabric – so lush and vibrant. You know, sometimes I look at paintings like this and imagine the artist just diving right in, throwing down those first bold strokes. I wonder what Wiley was thinking as he was creating this. Probably something about history, power, and representation. I can imagine him carefully building up those layers of oil paint, balancing realism with the ornamental. The way the figure holds that object, sort of nonchalant but deliberate, speaks volumes. It reminds me of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's figures, these invented people who feel so real. It’s like Wiley is in conversation with the whole history of portraiture while making something entirely new. In the end, painting is just that, an ongoing dialogue.