Black Figuration: Retelling the Classics
Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux at Cecile Fakhoury Art Basel Paris presentation, 2023.
Throughout art history, artists have drawn on themes, stories, and motifs from religion, antiquity and mythology, either as a technical exercise or perhaps to infuse their own work with more pathos. From the Renaissance to Romanticism and into contemporary art, these iconic narratives have remained foundational subjects for visual storytelling. The tendency of artists to reinterpret familiar stories has a far reaching tradition, allowing for an exploration of universal themes while engaging the spectator in a shared cultural and symbolic language.
Particularly visible in contemporary Black Figuration is a wave of young artists instrumentalising this power of reinterpretation - an act of retelling and reimagining that gives each artist an opportunity to inject contemporary values, politics, and innovations into the narrative. These artists are transforming what would be traditionally associated with European pictorial tradition into works that celebrate Black representation but also normalcy. And while the politics of Black Figuration have been hotly debated over the past decade, this particular subset within this category of painting occurs as a direct continuation of artists such as Jacques-Louis David who during the Neoclassical period used themes from Roman history to comment on the political ideals of their own time, notably the French Revolution, making it stand out from other varieties of portraiture. In David's The Oath of the Horatii, he revisits a tale of loyalty and sacrifice, but with a moral message tailored to the revolutionary ideals of fraternity and patriotism. This interpretive flexibility allows stories to evolve with each artist's unique perspective, keeping the narrative alive and relevant across centuries - something that warrants closer examination in relation to Black Figuration and portraiture in particular.
Kehinde Wiley, one of the most prominent figures associated with this approach, is best known for his heroic portraits that address the image and status of young African-American men in contemporary culture though imbuing them with historical pictorial tradition. His work challenges the traditional hierarchy of art and creates space for Black figures in the lineage of classical Western art, positioning subjects in regal poses that echo the likes of Titian and Rubens. Wiley’s work does more than just reframe individual Black figures; it reclaims a cultural space from which Black people have been historically excluded. His compositions, often set against vivid, floral patterns, play with the contrast between past and present, confronting us with the significance of racial visibility of subjects previously overlooked.
Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux engages with his subjects in a similar way, yet his work is maybe even more so a celebration of beauty, reverence and regality, often featuring Black figures in poses reminiscent of Baroque portraiture, echoing the excess and elegance of 17th- and 18th-century European art while situated within distinctively contemporary surroundings. His use of chiaroscuro, or the contrast between light and dark, underscores the gravitas of his subjects, challenging the stereotype of Blackness as an "outsider" identity in classical art. Romeo Mivekannin’s work takes a different approach, often blurring his own features with those of historical subjects - most strikingly in a sometimes orientalist scenes - creating ghostly, layered images that address themes of erasure and memory. Mivekannin uses old photographs and reimagines them by adding, painting, and scratching, creating complex portraits seemingly existing across time. By placing himself within these narratives combined with the aesthetic echo of classical portraiture from the European canon, Mivekannin interrogates what it means to be both part of and outside of these histories - with Black subjects having been traditionally either absent or, if represented, relegated to subordinate or marginal roles, the process itself being an act of defiance.
Outside of this more overt subversion of familiar imagery, there is both a refreshing newness to this particular subset within Black Figuration and a simultaneous universality found in the practice of many artists. The scenes referenced and heroic poses assumed speak to fundamental aspects of the human experience, such as love, tragedy, morality, and sacrifice. The tale of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, has been retold countless times, from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus in the Renaissance to the expressive interpretations of artists like Salvador Dalí in the modern era. Each version highlights different artistic priorities—whether it be idealized beauty, psychological exploration, or surreal abstraction—yet all remain connected through the familiar motif of Venus. By working within these well-known themes, artists explore new dimensions of beauty, spirituality, and emotion, while appealing to the onlooker who is already invested in these stories. This repetition serves as a cultural and aesthetic touchstone that binds different eras together while showcasing the diversity of artistic expression. Ultimately, the act of Black artists redefining pictorial traditions exemplifies a new kind of artistic freedom—one that dismantles past visual hierarchies by recognizing the Black subject not as a peripheral presence, but as central within the continuum of art history.
Or maybe it’s not that deep. Maybe it’s just a vibe.