Ecce Homo 2009

Kehinde Wiley made this painting, Ecce Homo, and I wonder what it was like for him to have the idea to bring contemporary Black men into the tradition of Western art. The flesh practically glows, like the men were carved in rich, brown marble, set against a dark backdrop with delicate, curlicue ornamentation, like tendrils wrapping around the figures. He is playing with some serious art history and the art of portraiture. Imagine Wiley in the studio, layering the paint to get those highlights just right. He is thinking about the way the light catches the contours of the face, maybe channeling Caravaggio, maybe thinking about Titian. He’s riffing off the old masters but making it his own. I think this work reminds us that art is a conversation, one big, messy, beautiful dialogue across time.