Bling, Hip Hop, and 16th Century Paintings.....

Music, entertainment, and celebrities have largely been influences for not only other forms of art but culture in general.  Youth very often portray those who they see in the media i.e. their favorite bands, artist, and actors.  This is what Manthia Diawara focuses on in his essay talking about theof James Brown and other soul artists influence on the youth culture in newly liberated Mali in Malick Sidibes photographs.  Diawara starts off explaining the transformation of the way which studio photography changed due to the change in independence and the want to be portrayed more luxurious then previously. The youth then of course rebelled against these thoughts and against the influence of the adults.

Martha Cooper

Malick Sidibes then a studio photographer saw the transformation of the youth and decided documentation was needed and wanted.  These kids in this highly religious area started to be heavily influenced by soul artist like James Brown.  Not being allowed to dress like the artists they saw in the magazines from America and other larger countries due to the highly conservative and religious backgrounds and government they often snuck off dressed, danced, and discussed these influences in secret.  This movement and the documentation was largely looked down upon by adults, religion, and the government.  This movement, lifestyle, and even more so photographs reminded me of those of Martha Coopers documentation of the hip hop/graffiti lifestyle in the late 70s early 80s.

Martha Cooper

Diawara talks about how the dances, artists, and style portrayed by those that the youth in Malia idolized were very similar to the rituals and thoughts of early religion.  I found this comparison to be very interesting and without the knowledge that Diawara had about these religions I would most likely have never came to that conclusion.  These rituals not only theoretically brought these kids closer to their ancestry but gave these youths a sense of belonging and community.  Similarly to that which hip hop and graffiti did for those documented by Martha Cooper.

From this we can segue into the article by Krista Thompson and influence of bling, hip hop, and 16th century oil paintings in contemporary art.  First off and largely I want to talk about the amazing comparison that Kenhinde Wiley forces us to see between 16th century paintings and that of the hip hop/bling culture.  Wiley finds men on the streets who he feels put off a sense of power through there walk, style, and overall portrayed personality.  He then will show these subjects a number of paintings done through the 1500s and 1600s of kings, dukes, and other high figures and ask them to pick one and pose like the subject in the painting they choose.  Wiley will then paint them in a highly glorified manner like those of the paintings the poses are based off.  This comparison forces us to see not only the similarities of the portrayal of the appearance of wealth but also the differences of the two subjects.  Wiley as a gay black man also questions what it is to be a black man/powerful/and the stereotypes of the hip hop culture through these works.

Kenhinde Wiley

Johannes Cornelisz Verspronck