Opening Night with Artist Kehinde Wiley
Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
00:00
Portraiture: The Art History of Western Easel Painting
When it comes to the series itself, the models seen in these paintings come from New York, West Africa, Europe. I encourage my models to go through art history books and to look at the poses that old aristocrats and nobility were holding in the original paintings. When it became my turn to play, I wanted the protagonist of that story to look like me. It's a bit silly because we're using this antique language of grace, but perhaps by using such an antiquated language, we can arrive at something more true.
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