Title: Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II (Michael Jackson)
Artist: Kehinde Wiley
Location: The Guardian
Year: 2010
Introduction:
Traditional art in western culture has always shown a specific style to recognize those who command power and wealth. In old paintings, we’ve been made to see knights, generals, lords, and kings ride in “big white horses” to show their strength, grace, and authority. This conditioned us to believe those were the only type of men who deserved respect and power. With this already existing tradition, Kehinde (keh-hin-deh) Wiley has used his work to challenge and redefine historical art styles by infusing contemporary art into old portraits and replacing the faces with African American celebrities and people, promoting inclusivity and bringing about changes in ideas of representation. It retains the culture but also hints at societal changes and redefining authority figures and meaning.
Description of artwork.
This piece is a classical art style showing a figure of grace and regality on a horse. The artist used oil paint on canvas with detailed strokes, giving it a smooth texture. The focal point is the figure with the face of a well-known singer dressed in regal wear on a white horse. He sits upright showing confidence and authority. The horse he is on possesses strong features, but has some softness to it, like the flowers on his mane and tail and how curly they are. The background shows a clouded sky and cherubs hanging around giving it a more historic air in contrast with the modern face on the painting.
The cherubs hovering around him could symbolize protection and divinity from God and brings light to the painting’s traditional idea of heroism and authority. The piece is a copy of traditional equestrian portraits popular among European art during the Baroque and Renaissance period. It references the painting of King Philip the second of Spain and echoes the symbols of politics, monarchical systems and military authorities.
Description of the tradition.
The artist’s purpose for this art is to reclaim power and representations of art by using a modern popular singer in old European portraiture style. It gives a voice to the notion that people like Michael Jackson (race, ethnicity, and background) deserve the same representation old European royalty got. It is both a celebration and a critique of the old style.
Critical analysis
Hybridity both strengthens and destabilizes tradition in this context. It does bring classical European art and modern black culture together, but the unity of both clearly destabilizes both transitions by challenging their origins and breaking their boundaries. Introducing black culture into a tradition that was specifically made for white aristocrats, disrupted the supposed normalcy of the tradition and made viewers see the discrimination of the older tradition.
While it disrupts norms, it also keeps it relevant. It reinterprets art and makes newer audiences view it with newer perspectives. It shows that every tradition can adapt as generations change.
Hybridity does not completely preserve nor destroy, it just transforms our traditions into more inclusive practices for people to appreciate and witness. The artist can be said to use his reinterpretation as a tool meant to both preserve and critique. He maintains the art style, but changes the muse to provoke discussion topics on race, representation, and art.