Kehinde Wiley is a New York based artist who I first profiled in 2012. Wiley paints large scale portraits and figures in which he incorporates complex, detailed and often high-chroma patterns and decorative elements.

In the rich earth reds and browns in which he paints the dark skin tones of his subjects, Wiley uses a full range of value, from brightest highlights to deepest darks. Combined with a forceful modeling of the forms, often incorporating backlighting, his faces and figures have a visual strength that allows Wiley to essentially go wild with his backgrounds without concern that the subjects will be overwhelmed.

In contrast, the clothing in which his subjects are dressed, though often brightly colored, is frequently handled with a softer range of values, deliberately sending it into the background. This effect is exaggerated by the extension of background pattern elements into the foreground, wrapping around or in front of the figures like physical objects.

His subjects are often posed in classical poses similar to the classic paintings that Wiley admires, though they are often named as saints and other religious figures. Some are arranged as actual icons, but emphasize the real name of the sitter.

As visually striking as Wiley’s paintings are in small reproductions, they are much more so in person, as they are large in scale. Like many of the old masters, as well as more recent painters, Wiley uses assistants to complete his large scale works, some working from a secondary studio he has established in Beijing, China.

When visiting his website, be aware that once within a section of works, you need to scroll down and click “View Images” to see the image slides.

Wiley’s work is currently on display in a retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum: “Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic“, that runs until May 24, 2015.

Christ and St Mary Magdalen at the Tomb, Rembrandt van Rijn

The link is to a zoomable version on Google Art Project; there is a downloadable version of the file on Wikimedia Commons; the original is in the Royal Collection Trust, London, which also has a zooming feature.

In the story of Mary Magdalene arriving at the tomb of Jesus, to find the tomb empty and angels there in his place, Rembrandt has chosen the moment just before her realization that the figure dressed as a grave-tending gardener, is in fact, the resurrected Jesus.

In selecting a moment of impending drama, rather than the more overt moment of realization, Rembrandt has emphasized the tension of the scene. Everything about the composition and lighting is dramatically theatrical, the dark clouds blend into the rocky hillside in a sweeping arc, and the figures are highlighted amid the breaking light on the stage-like setting of the stairs to the tomb entrance.

Sunlight splashes across the faces of both figures, alighting with particular force on Mary, her upturned face half in light, half in shadow.

I’ve never heard if any scholars consider this work unfinished, but elements of it seem very sketch-like to me. Most of the background is thinly applied earth color, much like an underpainting, with touches of low-chroma greens, also thinly applied. The figures are more fully realized, and there is considerable detail in the background, including architectural details and small figures.

I enjoy many of the little touches, such as the still-life character of the urn next to Mary Magdalene, and the unusual foreground foliage, which seems odd to me, but may have a significance I don’t happen to recognize.

I love the way the angels seem to be just nonchalantly hanging out at the tomb.