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Quote by Kehinde Wiley

“Mel Bochner was able to give me the tools to look at those types of experiences, register them with my own, but also hold them far enough away to see them 360.”

Quote by Kehinde Wiley

Author

Kehinde Wiley is a renowned contemporary painter known for his modern interpretations of traditional portraiture. His works typically depict portraits of African Americans, Latinos, and other minorities, blending elements of history, culture, and pop culture. Born in 1977, Wiley's work has had a profound impact on the art world. more

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“He's a great - he's a great professor. He retired recently, but.But Peter Halley as well.”

Wells Professors Peter Retired

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I was trying. I was crawling. I was coming into myself. I was trying to in some ways get beyond - what is the word that I'm looking for? - metaphorical language in painting, and to create something that was more indexical. And what I mean by that is that when you go to the library there's an index card that refers to a book that's actual and real in the world. So that index relates to something real.”

World Way Trying Mean Book Real Language Painting Library Cards Relate Crawling Metaphorical Something Real

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“The work that I wanted to create wasn't being done then. I was too much concerned about fellow students, professors, institutional style [in Yale].”

Done Wanted Too Much Style Students Concerned Fellows Professors Yale Being Done

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“When I went to the Studio Museum in Harlem, there was a type of freedom that existed where I didn't have to think about professors, where I didn't have to think about much of anything other than my own practice.”

Thinking My Own Practice Type Studios Museums Professors Harlem

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I think that just the nature of art education in schools, it's about packs, you know? Like, we're young wolves running together, creating a consensus. And consensus is antithetical to the art process.”

Thinking Knows Art Running School Together Young Process Creating Packs Consensus Art Education Running Together

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I think that once you're able to sort of get in line with who and how you relate to the world, you'll become closer to this index that I'm referring to. Because what you want is this card that relates to that book. What you want is this human that relates to this world, rather than having this art school society scattering that point of view somewhere in between. It becomes diffused. And that level of clarity, I think, was gained at the Studio Museum in Harlem.”

Thinking World Want Humans Art Book Able School Lines Levels Views This World Studios Point Of View What You Want Cards Clarity Relate Museums Referring Art School Harlem

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“It was something that came sort of matter-of-factually. Because there - it's like really - real honest engagement with the people around me and just like really honestly being a little bit confused, quite frankly, about Harlem.”

People Littles Real Matter Bits Honest Little Bit Honestly Confused Engagement Harlem

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“I grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where people are in cars.”

People Car Grew Grew Up South Los Angeles

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“There is no pedestrian culture [in South Central Los Angeles].”

Culture South Los Angeles Pedestrians

Author:Kehinde Wiley

“Like, the smells and the sights and the sounds. As an artist, you want to sort of be able to engage that and get that down in some way. This is - this is a type of familiarity but a type of radical difference at the same time.”

Way Want Able Artist Sound Differences Type Sight Smell Radical Familiarity

Author:Kehinde Wiley