This piece details the importance of Kehinde Wiley’s decision to create reinterpretations of Renaissance works by Titian, Raphael, and Mantegna. The special trait of Wiley’s reinterpretations is that the subjects of his paintings are black people, which creates a psychological shift for the viewer. What if the classic paintings we revered featured black bodies and how does that impact our view of the importance of black lives?

I have included the full essay below, which can be opened to fullscreen viewing.