Portrait Of Carrie Mae Weems, Eris 2017

Kehinde Wiley made this oil on canvas portrait of Carrie Mae Weems, using an academic painting process. The intense realism is achieved through layers of paint, built up to create a smooth surface that almost obscures the hand of the artist. Wiley is known for inserting Black figures into the historical canon of portraiture, replacing white aristocrats with contemporary people of color. In this work, the reference is clear. Weems poses in the style of a grand European portrait, her dress meticulously rendered to give the effect of rich brocade. The floral pattern has been carefully applied by workshop assistants, following Wiley’s vision. This raises interesting questions. Whose labor is visible here, and how does it contribute to the work’s meaning? Is it simply Wiley’s artistic vision? Or also the skilled labor that brings the painting to life? Considering these factors allows us to see how portraiture intersects with issues of class, labor, and the representation of identity.