Nelson Silva Eaflanzino Jr. 2009

Kehinde Wiley’s oil painting of Nelson Silva Eaflanzino Jr. is an explosion of colour and pattern, but Wiley wasn't afraid to put a figure right in the middle of it. I wonder what it’s like to make a painting like this? Did he start with the figure, carefully building up those tones to achieve such a lifelike image, or did he lay down that crazy floral background first? The way the figure is surrounded, almost swallowed up, by those crazy flowers reminds me of Chris Ofili, and the history of portraiture. Wiley is like: 'how can I take all this serious painting and make it FUN?' The flowers aren’t just a backdrop; they’re part of Nelson’s story, like he is one with the colorful chaos around him. It's an ongoing exchange of ideas and that’s what keeps us all going.