Princess Victoire Of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 2012

Kehinde Wiley made this painting of Princess Victoire with oil on canvas. Wiley's mark-making is really interesting here, isn't it? It's like he's building up layers of history and identity all at once. I'm drawn to the way the figure emerges from that dense, patterned background. Look at the drape of the fabric, how it cascades down, echoing the floral motifs. The texture is so smooth, almost velvety, which contrasts beautifully with the lush, almost overwhelming, foliage behind her. There's this tension between the flatness of the decorative elements and the depth he creates in the figure's skin and clothing. It's like a push and pull, a dance between representation and abstraction. Wiley is in conversation with artists like Chris Ofili, who also engages with ideas around representation and the aesthetics of beauty and power. It reminds us that art is always talking to itself, riffing on ideas, and evolving. It doesn't need to have a single fixed meaning, but be a space to ask questions.