Christian Martyr Tarcisius 2008

Kehinde Wiley presents "Christian Martyr Tarcisius," a modern take on martyrdom. The young black man, reclined, echoes classical poses of fallen saints, a visual language understood across centuries. Here, the floral background is not mere decoration; it is a symbol of paradise, but also of the complex tapestry of cultural identity. We can see echoes of Caravaggio’s “David with the Head of Goliath” in the pose of the reclining figure, but the story has changed. The floral motifs, reminiscent of Morris patterns, evoke ideas of beauty but become intertwined with sacrifice and the eternal. Consider the gesture of the hands, intertwined, protectively covering the chest—a motif found in depictions of Tarcisius who was killed by a mob for protecting the Eucharist. This poignant gesture taps into our collective consciousness, an unbroken chain of human emotion and memory. This motif invites contemplation on how symbols evolve, carrying layers of meaning.