WEEK 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

Kehinde Wiley

1. Untitled (2009)

Van Dyck 'Prince Thomas'

2. Untitled(2009)

3. Kehinde Wiley Count Potocki, 2008 oil on canvas, 274.3 x 274.3cm

4. Kehinde Wiley Support Army and Look after People, 2007 oil on canvas, 258.4 x 227.3cm

Kehinde Wiley is a Gay American based painter born in Los Angeles, who has an international reputation. Wiley lives and practices between Beijing and Brooklyn.

This weeks ALVC class focuses on the Postmodern theme "INTERTEXTUALITY", re-read Extract 1 The death of the author on page 44 of your ALVC books and respond to the oil paintings of Kehinde Wiley. 

1. Find a clear definition of Intertextuality and quote it accurately on your blog using the APA referencing system. Use your own words to explain the definition more thoroughly. 

“The concept of Intertextuality reminds us that each text exists in relation to others.” (Chandler 2003)

“The complex interrelationship between a text and other texts taken as basic to the creation or interpretation of the text” (merriam-webster n.d.)

In my own personal perspective, this term refers to a complex relationship between two or more previews concept or idea which is used as a basis in a creation of a new concept or idea. What this tells us is that nothing that is made is original, and that everything is build on something else, one way or another, throughout every work, even works that are considered to be new and original of their time e.g. Stars Wars, Avatar, Pulp Fiction, etc, are just based on other ideas that are either not as popular as their later ideas, or that their perspective media were so different that no one could make that connection.
2. Research Wiley's work and write a paragraph that analyzes how we might make sense of his work. Identify intertextuality in Wiley's work. 

Kehinde Wiley is famous due to his naturalistic heroic portraits paintings of young African-American men in contemporary culture, mostly of young American street youths of New York wearing clothes and expression that relate to black culture. His work shows clear depiction of intertexuality, due to his adaptation of “heroic poses” that is a clear reference to classical European/ renaissance portrait art of the 16^th to 17^th century. Using famous scenes of other historical portraits such as Napoleon, he used these “structures” to depict the value and pride of the black community, in contradiction to the violence and poverty that are usually common to the life of African American. He also uses the adaptation of renaissance art, ones that are commonly associated with depicting those who have greater power and wealth, and use those to also depict the strength and wealth of the African American people. This influence of classical European art in his own style is what supports the notion of intertextuailty in his work.  

3. Wiley's work relates to next weeks Postmodern theme "PLURALISM" . Read page 51 and discuss how the work relates to this theme.

A term used as the main characteristic of post modern and universally defines as two or more s kinds that exist in once space or reality at the same time, pluralism in a society is an acceptance of different culture and form within the confines of common civilization. His work relates to this theme as it expresses Wiley’s ideas of ethnicity and cultural diversity, including all people regardless of race, sex religion, etc. So having these young African-Americans depicted in these heroic pose typical to upper class white males challenges the viewer, in terms of breaking these social boundaries.

4. Comment on how Wiley's work raises questions around social/cultural hierarchies , colonisation, globalisation, stereotypes and the politics which govern a western worldview. 

Wiley’s artwork is shown to challenge the western society of the dominant white culture. Using his artistic skills to adapt the style of the Classic renaissance period, and reinventing them in the presence of African American, he is breaking the boundaries of classes based on cultural ethnicity, most obviously in terms of white and black American, and just switch their roles, to help show the equality between these cultures, and questioning these ideas on today’s society, contradicting past laws and accepting more of his ideas.
5. Add some reflective comments of your own, which may add more information that
you have read during your research.

Personally I enjoyed watching this artwork, I find them to be very interesting in terms of how he approached his work, in terms of making them very detailed, showing great skill, as well as for the use of bright colours and patterns, in contrast to traditional paintings. What I also admire about his work is how clever his was of mixing these ideas together, combining the subjects to help communicate his ideas.

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem09.html
http://www.deitch.com/artists/sub.php?artistId=11

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/kehinde-wiley/#_
http://www.kehindewiley.com.html

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intertextuality

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pluralism