Having already walked through Hokusai’s exhibition, visiting the whole MFA would be impossible for my legs and my brain so… First a cup of tea, which led us through the Art of Africa, a relatively small section. Then the Art of Americas that fills the end of the four levels of the museum. Roughly Ancient Americas, Native North American Art, art made in Boston around the time of the American Revolution and cross-cultural influences in 19th-century artwork. A tour of the two last sections, Level 2 and 3, was enjoyable enough. Amazingly, in the middle of the second level, a painting by Kehinde Wiley “John, 1st Baron Byron”, was painted in 2013. It references, in fact, a painting of the same name, made in the 17th century by British painter William Dobson, with Wiley’s colourful and stylised manner. A huge museum to see on several visits.
“Like Sargent, Kehinde Wiley uses the conventions of historical portraiture and the power of art history to shape notions of identity. However, unlike Sargent, Wiley acknowledges political intent, addressing in his work the politics of representation, the veracity of images, and issues of exclusion and inclusion. Here inspired by a portrait by the 17th-century British painter William Dobson, Wiley subverts tradition by placing his model, dressed in street clothes, against a vibrantly patterned background. In this way, he destabilizes the grand Euro-American tradition of portraiture, creating a celebratory depiction of contemporary self-possession. His paintings expose the inherent racism and limitations of the Western canon, while giving voice to those who are traditionally unrepresented.”