Fishermen At Sea 2017

Kehinde Wiley painted Fishermen At Sea with oils, and I can only imagine the conversations he was having with older paintings as he did so. The wild brushstrokes create a vivid, almost churning sea. It is very green, a bright emerald green, which might be unsettling and that feels very deliberate. It is not calming. I imagine Wiley wanting to convey some of the terror and awe of the ocean. The paint is applied with gusto, thick and expressive, which makes it feel so alive. You can feel the energy of each stroke, like the artist was battling the canvas. The people in the boat are dwarfed by the immensity of the sea, emphasizing the vulnerability of humans against the elements. Wiley's handling of the figures is really beautiful, especially the way they seem to be trying to hold onto each other. And that is the conversation: across the centuries artists keep reaching, testing, and showing the way.