There's something really cool about taking oily coloured paste and pushing it around with these hairy sticks and making something that looks like you. That's the magic of painting.
Kehinde WileyRead
Being a kid with black skin in South Central Los Angeles, in a part of the world where opportunity didn't necessarily knock every day, is what gave me this sensibility and drove me to explore my fascination with art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects how a challenging environment influenced the author’s passion for art.
Kehinde Wiley's quote reveals the profound impact of his upbringing in South Central Los Angeles on his artistic journey. Growing up as a Black child in a community where opportunities were scarce shaped his sensitivity to the world around him, igniting a deep fascination with art as a means of expression and exploration. His experiences served not only as a backdrop for his creativity but also as a source of inspiration that drives his work.
Themes
ArtOpportunitySensitivityExpressionBlack Experience
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of diversity in art, this quote could highlight the influence of personal background.
More from Kehinde Wiley
All quotes →This idea that my work is about hip-hop is a little reductive. What I'm interested in is the performance of masculinity, the performance of ethnicity, and how they intermingle across cultures.
Kehinde WileyRead
What is portraiture? It's choice. It's the ability to position your body in the world for the world to celebrate you on your own terms.
Kehinde WileyRead
The ability to be the first African-American painter to paint the first African-American president of the United States is absolutely overwhelming. It doesn't get any better than that.
Kehinde WileyRead
Painting is about the world that we live in. Black men live in the world. My choice is to include them.
Kehinde WileyRead
What I try to do is defy expectations in terms of boundaries, whether it is high or low art, pop culture, or fine-art culture. My work is about reconciling myriad cultural influences and bringing them into one picture.
Kehinde WileyRead
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