Casey Riley 2013

"Casey Riley" (2013) is a portrait by Kehinde Wiley that depicts a young Black man in a contemporary setting. Wiley’s large-scale paintings reimagine traditional portraiture, using iconic Renaissance techniques to portray Black subjects in their everyday lives. This work, like many of Wiley’s, draws attention to the power of representation and the historical exclusion of Black figures in traditional art. The gold leaf background, a motif often seen in historical paintings, contrasts with the modern clothing of the subject, creating a dialogue between past and present.