Art?

I believe that art is any skill an individual uses to create something meaningful. I see art as a broad spectrum with classical mediums such as paint, tempura, and lead pencils, as well as unrecognized forms of art such as cooking and gardening. However today I would like to bring light to a remarkable powerful modern painting that is a remake, or parody, of a classic painting. This painting is Napolean Leading the Army Over the Alps by Kehinde Wiley.

Kahinde Wiley is an artist well known for taking a few steps back from the norms and criticizing them. He takes classical portraits, mind you portraits are a symbol of power, wealth, and influence, and replaces them with young African Americans he meets. He also tweeks the imagery of these paintings to demonstrate the point he is trying to make. Wiley is also well known for President Obamas presidential portrait, which stands out in contrast when compared to every other presidential portrait. This is because in the portrait Obama is sitting on a chair, surrounded by lush greenery and flowers, while other presidential portraits stick with neutral tones. Wiley makes remarkable, unique, and powerful works of art and I’ve even gone out of my way to view his art.

Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps is a powerful painting because it is mimicking the original from 1803 which depicts Napoleon on a large white horse, a symbol of power and wealth, leading his arm on an uphill battle that appears to be successful due to his fingers pointing onward in determination, his red cloak another power cue. However, in Wileys painting a young African American powerfully pointing onward in a beautiful gold cloak, also headed uphill in battle. In the original from 1803, a cloudy sky is depicted in the background and you can see his army slightly in the background taking a different path. In Wileys version there is a red backdrop with a white type of crest pattern, however, if you zoom in and look oh so carefully you can make out many small sperm cells in the background.

What Wiley has accomplished in this remake of a famous portrait is that he has put an African American in a position of power in a painting, which has been scarcely done. Historically, if Africans were in any painting, it was usually in the background or obviously showing them as weaker, for example, most paintings that include Africans depict them as slaves. However Kahinde throws this racist art norm out the window and has given a young African American a symbol of power and wealth. Kahinde is also making fun of Napoleon and his intention from the painting by adding the sperm cells in the background. Personally it is almost like he is saying “I’m Napoleon look how manly I am” in a mocking deep voice, by including this hilarious Easter egg.

I feel as if this painting ties in perfectly with Tolstoys idea of art, which is, an expression of a feeling that can be felt and understood by the intended audience. Napolean Leading the Army over the Alps falls right under this catagory, by understanding the historical importance and roll of the original painting, and seeing Kahindes version his message can easily be gathered, essentially, his art is parody. He is throwing out unjust social norms and given African Americans, who have been devastatingly left out of western art, a status of power and recognition. In addition he is calling out the issue of only white people being portrayed powerfully in art. He is also mocking a powerful historical figures portrait in such a kooky and hilarious manner. Because of this involvement in the current issues of our world, I feel like this piece especially fits under “#2. Every work of art causes the receiver to enter into a certain kind of relationship both with him who produced, or is producing, the art, and with all those who, simultaneously, previously, or subsequently, receive the same artistic impression,” because of the meaning and depth this art creates for a lot of people. For all these reasons, this painting is a work of art in Tolstoys eyes as well as mine.