The work of art I chose to discuss this week is, Equestrian Portrait of King Phillip II (Michael Jackson), an oil on canvas painting done in 2010 by Kehinde Wiley. I chose this painting because Kehinde Wiley’s art interests me. When I first looked up some of his work I found that he has a signature style of remake classic paintings from the 17th century all the way up to the 19th century. But he adds his own twist to them. He gets innovative and incorporates African-American figures into his paintings as the focal point.
For example in the painting I looked at, Equestrian Portrait of King Phillip II (Michael Jackson), Kehinde Wiley switches out King Phillip II with Michael Jackson. However, this is not the only change he makes. While he stays mostly true to the original painting remodels the background. While Michael Jackson is also on a horse and wearing the same attire that King Phillip II wore the background and sky seem lighter. The light blue sky is peaking through the clouds, Michael Jackson’s horse is more animated and lively, and there are flowers …show more content…
However, I believe that there is more deeper meaning behind the switch in Kehinde Wiley’s paintings. For example King Phillip II was a Spanish monarch and Michael Jackson was the king of pop. This shows parallels of the past and the present. While in the past people were ruled by harsh dictators; people today are controlled by the media and music. The textures of the two paintings are also quite different. The original painting of King Phillip II is very grainy and is not as crisp. The Kehinde Wiley remake is clear and has sharp lines to it opposed to the blurred obscured ones in the original. Also the difference in lightings is apparent because the original has a unified darkness, the Kehinde Wiley painting has a ray of light shining down giving the painting variety and depth. This could possibly symbolize hope in a new
For example in the painting I looked at, Equestrian Portrait of King Phillip II (Michael Jackson), Kehinde Wiley switches out King Phillip II with Michael Jackson. However, this is not the only change he makes. While he stays mostly true to the original painting remodels the background. While Michael Jackson is also on a horse and wearing the same attire that King Phillip II wore the background and sky seem lighter. The light blue sky is peaking through the clouds, Michael Jackson’s horse is more animated and lively, and there are flowers …show more content…
However, I believe that there is more deeper meaning behind the switch in Kehinde Wiley’s paintings. For example King Phillip II was a Spanish monarch and Michael Jackson was the king of pop. This shows parallels of the past and the present. While in the past people were ruled by harsh dictators; people today are controlled by the media and music. The textures of the two paintings are also quite different. The original painting of King Phillip II is very grainy and is not as crisp. The Kehinde Wiley remake is clear and has sharp lines to it opposed to the blurred obscured ones in the original. Also the difference in lightings is apparent because the original has a unified darkness, the Kehinde Wiley painting has a ray of light shining down giving the painting variety and depth. This could possibly symbolize hope in a new