Kehinde Wiley
See think wonder
What do you see in the picture?
What do you think is happening and what was the artist trying to tell you with this picture?
What does this picture make you wonder about?
Barack Obama, oil on canvas, 2018.
National Portrait Gallery
Kehinde Wiley (born February 28, 1977)[1] is an American portrait painter based in New York City, who is known for his highly naturalistic paintings of African Americans, frequently referencing the work of Old Master paintings. He was commissioned in 2017 to paint a portrait of former President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, which has portraits of all previous American presidents. The Columbus Museum of Art, which hosted an exhibition of his work in 2007, describes his work as follows: "Wiley has gained recent acclaim for his heroic portraits which address the image and status of young African-American men in contemporary culture."[2]
Discussion of and images of nude women models posed from the side.
Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps is an equestrian portrait of a youthful black male painted by the contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley in 2005. It is based on Jacques-Louis David’s 1801 equestrian portrait, Napoleon Crossing the Alps. This painting was chosen by a man who Wiley had approached in the streets. The basic composition of Wiley's painting is the same as the 200-year-old painting it was based on, and has many of the same elements. The modern painting has a decorative background rather than the battlefield background. It is in the Brooklyn Museum
Napoleon Crossing the Alps
Artist Jacques-Louis David
Year 1801
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 261 cm × 221 cm (1021⁄3 in × 87 in)
LocationChâteau de Malmaison, Rueil-Malmaison
Left: Jean-Auguste-DomLeft: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Napoleon on his Imperial Throne, 1806, oil on canvas, 260 x 163 cm (Musée de l’Armée, Paris); right: Kehinde Wiley, Ice T, 2005, oil on canvas, 243.8 x 182.9 cm (private collection) © Kehinde Wiley
Artist Théodore Géricault
Year circa 1812
Medium Oil on canvas
Dimensions 349 cm × 266 cm (137 in × 105 in)
Location Louvre, Paris
An Officer of the Imperial Horse Guards Charging is an oil painting on canvas of about 1812 by the French painter Théodore Géricault, portraying a mounted Napoleonic cavalry officer who is ready to attack.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Charging_Chasseur
Inspirations for backgrounds
African Textiles
A Ghanaian fabric company has launched a new line of designs inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53321016
African wax print cotton
Ghanaian Kente Cloth http://www.ibike.org/africaguide/textile/textile1.htm
A pattern known alternately as "La Lune" and as "Tchi-koui" (which translates to "Small Change").
Traditional Wallpapers
Fruit or Pomegranate by William Morris (1834-1896). Original from the The MET Museum
Jacobean Floral Vine
Damask: woven on a jaquard loom originally from the European middle ages
Baltimore Themes
Ravens: Reminisent of EA Poe and the local professional football team
The Orioles: the state bird and local professional baseball team
Lord Baltimore Flag
Maryland state flower the Black Eyed Susan
Ways of creating backgrounds
