Art and Society Spring 2015

Kehinde Wiley's Princess Victoire of Saxe-Coburg (2012) is a representational 2D oil painting on linen. This particular painting stood out to me the most out of his entire collection. The tall black woman standing directly in the middle of the painting signifies strength and royalty. The woman has her back turned to the viewer signifying defiance or independence. Her hair stands tall as well almost like she wears it as her crown. The painting has value her skin looks like there is a light shining on her shoulders She is clothed in a long dark green gown with cut out shoulders and gives you the impression that it is flowing behind her which implies texture. The dress is held on to her waist by a bright gold belt. The background of the painting is completely covered in beautiful (secondary colors) green, orange, and purple flowers and also red, blue, and yellow (primary colors).

Chitra Ganesh's Eyes of Time (2014) is a site specific representational installation located in a space inside the Brooklyn Museum. This mural is a representation of the goddess of destruction and rebirth Kali. This piece of artwork stood out to me the most because it frightened me. It was so abstract and so different from the normal depictions of a female goddess. Kali is shown with 3 breasts, 5 long arms, and 3 legs. Her head is made out of a clock which represents the inevitability of time in this world. She has long black hair that spell out a variety of words. This artwork is loaded with texture her abdomen holds 7 arms her right hand is holding an eyeball and her hair is made of black yarn.

Both artists have different ways of symbolizing women empowerment and where they stand in the world today. Kehinde's painting was such a refreshing outlook on women compared to centuries ago.