Artist Quote by Kehinde Wiley
“So much of my work is defined by the difference between the figure in the foreground and the background. Very early in my career, I asked myself, "What is that difference?" I started looking at the way that a figure in the foreground works in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European paintings and saw how much has to do with what the figure owns or possesses. I wanted to break away from that sense in which there's the house, the wife, and the cattle, all depicted in equal measure behind the sitter.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Art21 Magazine, 2015
Wiley explores how foreground figures dominate perception, while background elements recede, shaping narrative focus.
In simple terms: He studies how main subjects stand out from their surroundings.
Key Takeaway
Use composition to highlight key subjects.
Themes
art
perception
composition
Mood
analytical
inquisitive
Type
artistic
educational
When to use this quote
- painting
- exhibition design
- visual storytelling
- educational workshops
Key Concepts
visual hierarchy
symbolic ownership
historical context
Questions to Reflect On
- How does background context affect interpretation?
- What techniques balance foreground and background?
A Different Perspective
Emphasizing foreground can marginalize background stories.
![“At that time [90th in Lagos], if you drove through the city, you drove through a foreground that always seemed to be incredibly dramatic and incredibly agonised - smoking, burning, incredible compression. In the first year we stayed on the ground and went everywhere. But then in order to discover…” quote by Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aea/rem-koolhaas-5371_abandoned_at-that-time-90th-in-lagos-if-you-drove_669157.jpg)
