Study for Ivelaw III

Kehinde Wiley positions himself as a descendent in a long line of portraitists, including Thomas Gainsborough (1727 – 1788), Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780 – 1867), and Barkley L. Hendricks (on view nearby). He incorporates a range of art historical and current urban references, such as poses or clothing, that simultaneously place his painting within the traditional canon and a new contemporary context. In his portraits of everyday young African American men, such as Ivelaw III (study), the artist presents heroic and powerful subjects historically excluded in art. Placing his sitters in strong yet often sensual poses, Wiley also challenges notions of masculinity, sexuality, and black identity.