Barack Obama 2018

Kehinde Wiley made this portrait of Barack Obama, and you know, I can just imagine him layering all of those vivid greens to create that leafy backdrop, one brushstroke at a time. I wonder if he began with an abstract idea, letting the forms emerge through trial and error, guided by intuition? You can feel Wiley's sympathy for his subject and the weight of what Obama carried. Just imagine Wiley, thinking about how to show this man, this president, with all the weight of the world on his shoulders, in paint. The leaves seem to engulf him, maybe suggesting growth or renewal. The way Wiley balances the formal portrait with this wild, verdant explosion is what makes his paintings so compelling. It reminds me of other painters who use floral patterns to create their own space. Ultimately, it's artists in conversation with one another across time, where ideas evolve, inspiring creativity. Painting really embraces ambiguity, welcoming various interpretations rather than settling on one.