3. Kehinde Wiley Count Potocki, 2008 oil on canvas, 274.3 x 274.3cm
4. Kehinde Wiley Support Army and Look after People, 2007 oil on canvas, 258.4 x 227.3cm
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 is the shaping of texts' meanings by other texts. It can include an author’s borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another. The term “intertextuality” has, itself, been borrowed and transformed many times since it was coined by poststructuralist Julia Kristeva in 1966"
Agger, Gunhild Intertextuality Revisited: Dialogues and Negotiations in Media Studies. Canadian Journal of Aesthetics, 4, 1999.
This means that an idea is nothing without ideas to create what it means. Almost every single idea comes from something that has made it. Everything that we see in the world around us, especially in art, because it comes from a previous influence. The thought that 'the artist is the con-artist' comes in to this, regardless of who create what previously, it is what we as viewers are seeing at the times counts. Therefore anything before this is disregarded.
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.
We make sense of Wiley's work that coming to the understanding that he probably has grown-up surrounded by African Americans who act tough and perhaps a certain way and then adding his own twist to the work, this being flowers and the African Americans in the subject matter of his work acting 'camp' and more blatantly - homosexual. He is combining two unlikely stereotypes and making it work, whilst probably offending many blacks. We can see intertextuality in Wiley's work because although this is a bold statement, like many artworks we see in this day and age, we have seen it before and this is nothing new, so to speak.
3. Wiley's work relates to next weeks Postmodern theme "PLURALISM" . Read page 46 and discuss how the work relates to this theme.
Pluralism is used to describe juxtaposing ideas in one particular piece of work. In this case Wiley has used black men posing in flamboyant clothing that is related to that of the renaissance. Other than the obvious of how this is clashing because of how ridiculous these black men look in these outfits the time of the renaissance was when the black man was still considered a lower race, and these men, should they have existed in this time, would be in slavery or something similar, not in such extravagant clothing. Wiley has preented the idea, of what many people were clearly thinking, and these ideas can be represented as pluralism.
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, for obvious reasons, has raised many questions in different areas. Some cultures feel as though homosexuality is a sin and is extremely frowned upon, different stereotypes feel as though his work is an insult and a poor portrayal of their way of being. Wiley plucks his subjects from the streets- largely in New York. Many of his subjects are asked to pose in ways that renaissance painters were done in, making them seem very old fashioned and because of how they are done, gay. This is way out of its time and this is also against the way things are done in this western world.
5. Add some reflective comments of your own, which may add more information that
you have read during your research.
I think that Wiley has done a very good job of creating a new way of thinking in the western world. Although this has been done before we would be hard pressed to find something like this. I like how he has painted his subjects in the era of the 1800's and renaissance, and how because this when placed in this day and age feels completely different to how it would back then.
Wiley's paintings have been said to "blur the boundaries between traditional and contemporary representation.." I believe this statement to be very much true.
References
Unknown., (2006) Textuality and Inter-Textuality in the Mahabharata: Sarup and Sons
Wiley, K., (2010) Kehinde Wiley: The World Stage Brazil: Roberts and Tilton
Kehinde Wiley, USA (2006) http://www.usanetwork.com/characterapproved/honorees/kehinde/
I like intertextuality and as you say the idea that everything especially in art come from a previous influence and agree it is the viewers seeing that is important as we don’t always know what the artist is thinking. I think his work only twists homosexually influenced as we know he is a gay man and therefore look for it, otherwise i think the style of the paintings and technique lends itself to this thought. I like that his figures are everyday people from the street as well as some works of celebrities. I think this gives his work a free edge to it as it’s not solely about the celebrity as a lot of media and images are in today’s society. I like the contrast of the clothes of today’s society with the European renaissance backgrounds and styles. I think he is very talented and unique in today’s society where many people try so hard to create completely new things whereas Wiley takes old and new together in one.
ReplyDeleteYes, he has found a new way to create a good work in use of French rococo influence; that is the one of very elegance style. I think Wiley has raised questions as mainly collapses of ideas between totally different cultures; it leads to complete sensation in the western society. Of course I know he has raised many questions in different areas but I want to say “What is main reason?” I think the main reason is towards racial identity; it doesn’t mainly focus on an insult or a poor portrayal style. The challenger is to realize its own value contributed to improve the social recognition.
ReplyDeleteHi Gwen. I like the quote you have referenced in the first question. It clearly defines Intertextuality in a way that encourages us to believe that anyone who has not yet been infected by the "virus" of postmodernist theory would probably find the idea of intertextuality counter-intuitive. I feel you have accurately identified the ideas of intertextuality within Wiley's works. It was interesting how you state in your analysis for how we might make sense of Wiley's work that he is successfully combining two unlikely stereotypes. Yet at the same time, there is a possibility he is offending black people.
ReplyDeleteI like what you have said in question one, “an idea is nothing without ideas to create what it means”. I think this is a good point and every time I read it over I find it just as hard to get my head around it. Your thoughts on intertextuality which concern the artist and ideas in general are very interesting and I find them all very valid.
ReplyDeleteI like you response to question five. I also like his work and how it speaks out for minorities in the Western art culture. I also like how his work communicates his ideas and how his paintings relate to pluralism as well.
I agree with what you said about Wiley’s work and the intertextuality in his work. In the paragraph you said that “African Americans who act tough and perhaps a certain way and then adding his own twist to the work, this being flowers and the African Americans in the subject matter of his work acting 'camp' and more blatantly - homosexual. He is combining two unlikely stereotypes and making it work”. I think it is a weird combination but somehow it just looked right or really, a satirical painting to mock the white people’s history? But I don’t think it will offend the black people as much as to the white people.
ReplyDelete