Last Name: 1

Your Name:

Instructor’s Name:

Course Number:

Date:

Roles of an artist: Based on Kehinde Wiley’s Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps, 2005

Kehinde Wiley’s work manifests the role of creative thinkers in contributing to the

overall societal wellbeing, development, and health. Wiley’s contemporary art does more than

just clapping back at the past but re-envisions it into a newer fresher form. By replacing Jacques

Louis-David’s Napoleon with a black man, he manages to successfully deconstruct the rhetoric

of white European supremacy. Moreover, the small painted sperm within his signature painted

background is another jab at the rampant hyper-masculinity during those times. In as much

Wiley’s work is somewhat a parody, he is still massively successful in exposing, with historic

accuracy, the propaganda behind the images of many rulers, (Shull).

Additionally, Wiley’s version of David’s portrait is a commentary on the historical

treatment of people of call and their exclusion from this style of portraiture that is synonymous

with the western world. This can be deduced from the addition of the name “Williams” on the

rocky terrain in the background, a name that has been foisted upon African- Americans as a

consequence of the slave trade.

The Focal Point of the Work

The most eye-catching bit about Wiley’s piece is the anonymous black man with whom

he replaces David’s Napoleon. Clad in contemporary timberland boots, camouflage outfit and a

bandana, the man’s choice of fashion departs from Napoleon’s military regalia but still manages

to make a subtle reference to the violent conflicts and struggles in the streets of Brooklyn.
 Last Name: 2

The anonymous man’s depiction is consistent with Wiley’s overt interventions (through

his works such as Charles I and Henrietta Maria and Support the army) in the reconstruction of

black masculinity into an alternative different from the normal class, gender and race constructs.

Through Wiley’s anonymous man, he appears to imagine the sitter through the European,

colonial merchant’s narrative while simultaneously satirizing the same using the landscape in the

background i.e. the small painted sperm in the patterned fabric.

Associations, Thoughts and Feelings

Wiley’s Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps evokes feelings of pride in black

masculinity and culture. Wiley’s is an attempt to imbue David’s already constructed body with

aesthetics, values, and virtues of blackness. He endeavors to portray African American men side

by side with the influence of colonial masters of yore. His work melt’s modern culture coupled

with contemporary urban features into a unique vision of history and style. In interrogating the

notion of the master painter, the artist contends that his approach to art makes it critical and

complicit at once, (National Portrait Gallery).

Wiley’s anonymous man also wears a Starter Sportswear Company branded wristband

implies the use of the body as an object for commerce and hints at the commodification of black

masculine identity i.e. the exploitation of black subjects for their experiences and living

environments, (Maloney).

Kehinde Wiley Vs Vincent van Gogh

The works of the iconic Vincent Van Gogh reveal his spiritual and emotional state,

(Martin). The densely laden visible brush strokes coupled with the opulence of his palette go a

long way in breathing life into his expression. One Criticism of Wiley’s Napoleon Leading the

Army over the Alps is the potential for its political significance to be lost in ambiguity.
 Last Name: 3

The piece borrows rather heavily from David’s Bonaparte Crossing the Alps, so much so

that power of the flamboyance and accompanying romance of David’s iconic portrait threatens to

overshadow the artist’s ingenious efforts to deconstruct the pomposity of white European

supremacy.

The Artist’s Identity in His Work

Wiley’s use of the anonymous black male on a backdrop of the brightly colored patterned

fabric appears to be an invitation to contemplate black cultural constructs, posturing, and artifice.

One can’t help but feel the urge to form a relationship with the figure. Moreover, his work

endears the audience to think about class and racial issues as well as biases in historical artworks

and pop culture.

The artist’s non-conventional use of high-keyed colors on historical paintings appears to

be a deliberate effort to highlight the art behind image-making in the rendering of his portraits.

Despite what critics might say, Wiley’s approach places his character and persona in the good

company of icons of the art scene such as Jeff Koons and Norman Rockwell. His work elevates

the plight of average Africa Americans and intricately weaves the role of the artist’s hand into

his public persona.

Impact of Imitation of historical paintings

Wiley’s imitation of a historical painting runs the risk of being dismissed as kitsch-tinged

but at the same time, it makes his piece hard to ignore. The bravery with which he superimposes

a black character onto historical western portraiture, albeit with indifferently worked surfaces,

manages to provoke interest from audiences of all colors, races, or creed. His approach, unlike

typical artworks with a historical perspective, forces the audience to consider present
 Last Name: 4

inequalities, bigotry together with the seductiveness of contemporary cultures, politics, and

imagery.
 Last Name: 5

Works cited

Shull, Benjamin. “Portraiture as Propaganda.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company,

17 Aug. 2018, www.wsj.com/articles/portraiture-as-propaganda-1534540774.

National Portrait Gallery. “Painting: Kehinde Wiley.” National Portrait Gallery | RECOGNIZE!

Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture, 2020, npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/paintings.html.

Maloney, Lauren. “The Commodification of Human Beings.” Northeastern University Law

Review, Northeastern University Law Review, 19 Nov. 2015,

ulawreview.org/extralegalrecent/the-commodification-of-human-beings.

Martin, Colin. “Vincent Van Gogh's Life and Work through His Letters.” The Lancet, vol. 375,

no. 9715, 2010, pp. 629–630., DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(10)60253-x.