Portrait Of Rashid Johnson And Sanford Biggers, The Ambassadors 2017

Kehinde Wiley made this painting of Rashid Johnson and Sanford Biggers, "The Ambassadors", and it's just so lush and playful, right? Look at that backdrop, it's a deep, almost velvety green, like a stage curtain. The colours are rich but they’re not shouting, you know? It’s a painting that’s really thinking about how to be a painting. The mark-making is interesting, it's so smooth in places, and then rough and visible in others, there's a real push and pull between representation and pure paint. And the shirts! That soft pinkish hue, almost like skin tones, it’s so delicate and pretty. The way the fabric folds and drapes is so luscious, but then the jeans! That brings it right back down to earth. Wiley is referencing historical portraiture, sure, but it’s also totally now. The way he balances all that, it's like a conversation between then and now. Think about someone like Barkley Hendricks, they share that same mix of formality and funk. It feels like a party, and we’re all invited.