Sir Brooke Boothby 2013

Kehinde Wiley made this oil on canvas painting, Sir Brooke Boothby, as part of his exploration of historical portraiture. The flatness of the canvas is broken up by the intense, almost overwhelming pattern, which feels both decorative and somehow a little confrontational, like it’s vying for our attention. Wiley builds up layers of color, creating a surface that's super smooth but also has a real depth to it. Look at the man’s skin - the glazing and blending of color create a sheen that makes him feel almost hyperreal, lifted from the flatness of the background. Then there’s the floral motif creeping over the subject’s body, which creates another layer of depth. It's like a dance between the figure and the ground, where neither one really takes precedence. Wiley reminds me of someone like Chris Ofili in the way he takes historical tropes and remixes them with contemporary culture, asking us to reconsider what we think we know about representation. Ultimately, he shows us that art is always a conversation, a constant reinterpretation of the past.