Week 4 - Kehinde Wiley and inter-textuality

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. 

"Intertextuality seems such a useful term because it foregrounds notions of relationality, interconnectedness and interdependence in modern cultural life. In the Postmodern epoch, theorists often claim, it is not possible any longer to speak of originality or the uniqueness of the artistic object, be it a painting or novel, since every artistic object is so clearly assembled from bits and pieces of already existent art." Graham Allen, Intertextuality. Routledge, 2000

Basically, this quote is saying that nothing is original anymore because everything  is taken by other inspirations and art works, and even sub consciously people think they are making something original when in fact  they are using other things that they have seen to create it.

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. 

Wileys paintings are very colourful with ornately decorated backgrounds; bold in both style and colour the men painted in his work are often dressed in street clothing and are posing in a heroic manner. This gives reference to old paintings of Renaissance masters. His work is a very clear example of intertextuality, as he has put together many different styles and ideas. Without having the knowledge of these different ideas and periods the viewer would not know this about his work. Also, if Wiley was not influenced by different periods and ideas he would not be able to portray these ideas, and his worl would be very different to what it is now.

3. Wiley's work relates to next weeks Postmodern theme "PLURALISM" . Read page 51 and discuss how the work relates to this theme. Wiley’s work deals with the ideas of pluralism as he has placed black men in traditional Western Renaissance style settings. By him doing this he is making a clear point and breaking down boundaries that were earlier in place regarding social status of race. He is challenging the cliché of ‘upper white class’ by putting African Americans in the frame.

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 work raises quite a few questions, about many things including social/cultural hierarchies, colonisation etc. His work is very controversial but puts forward a valid and a very talked about subject regarding the ‘black’ and ‘whites’ of society. Wiley has painted African American men of the street in a renaissance style, giving the men power and showing wealth, traditionally it would be white men, this is where he has pushed boundaries and made a statement, has challenged stereotypes. 

5. Add some reflective comments of your own, which may add more information that
you have read during your research.

I really enjoyed researching Wiley’s work. I like the ideas behind the art and the boundaries he challenges.

http://www.skny.com/artists/kehinde-wiley/

http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/cambridgeauthors/byatt-intertextuality

http://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/kehinde-wiley/