Femme Piquee Par Un Serpent 2008

Kehinde Wiley created this oil on canvas piece, titled "Femme Piquee Par Un Serpent". Immediately, the painting overwhelms with its sharp contrasts of colour and texture. Wiley layers the figure of a Black man, casually posed, against a backdrop of ornate floral patterns. This juxtaposition creates a powerful visual dialogue. The recumbent figure, dressed in contemporary streetwear, challenges our expectations within the context of classical portraiture. Wiley employs the compositional strategies of historical painting. He adopts poses from the Western art canon, disrupting fixed meanings and cultural codes. Wiley encourages the viewer to question representations of power and identity. The floral motifs, rich in their detail and density, operate as signifiers of both beauty and the complex histories of colonialism and appropriation. Ultimately, "Femme Piquee Par Un Serpent" destabilizes the established categories of portraiture, forcing us to reconsider the cultural and social narratives embedded within the artistic tradition.