Portrait Of John And George Soane 2013

Kehinde Wiley painted this portrait of John and George Soane, with oil on canvas. What jumps out at you first? For me, it's the wallpaper effect. It's so dense and patterned. Wiley kind of smothers the space with it. It almost flattens the whole picture. Look at how he poses his subjects. One has her hands on her hips, defiant almost. The other has a staff, so regal, but also a bit awkward. The way he builds up the paint, you can almost feel the texture of their clothes. The light bounces off the skin, giving it a sculptural quality. It’s like Wiley is asking us to consider representation. Who gets to be in a portrait, and how? Wiley makes me think of artists like Chris Ofili, who also uses pattern and ornamentation to explore identity and culture. The whole thing is pretty rad, and definitely worth a look.