Artist Quote by Kehinde Wiley
“When we talk about Orientalist painting, we're talking about painting generally from the seventeenth through the nineteenth century, and some would say even into the twentieth, that allows Europe to look at Africa, Asia Minor, or East Asia in a way that's revelatory but also as a place in which you can empty yourself out. A place in which there is no place. It's an emptiness and a location at once.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Orientalism in Contemporary Art, Kehinde Wiley, 2018
Orientalist art lets Europe project emptiness onto other regions, using them as blank canvases for self‑definition.
In simple terms: Artists used foreign lands as empty mirrors for themselves.
Key Takeaway
Recognize projection in representation.
Themes
colonialism
identity
representation
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
historical
When to use this quote
- museum curation
- art education
- media analysis
- travel writing
Key Concepts
postcolonial theory
visual culture
self‑othering
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this perspective change your view of historic art?
- Can we reframe such works to honor the subjects?
A Different Perspective
It can ignore the agency and richness of the depicted cultures.
