Saint John The Baptist

Kehinde Wiley has often drawn inspiration from images that reflect the past but speak to the present. The idea for this painting likely comes from Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, St. John the Baptist, 1513-16, included in the collection of the Musée du Louvre in Paris. This work is included in his series, A New Republic, which portrays contemporary portraits of men and women that riff on specific paintings by Old Masters to raise questions about race, gender, and the politics of representation. Wiley’s elevated and intimate portrait also draws attention to the absence of African Americans from historical and cultural narratives.

Mixed media painting of Craig Fletcher based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint John the Baptist. The work has 22-karat gold leaf decoration. The painting shows Fletcher in the center. He is wearing a black t-shirt with blue letters and jeans. He is visible from the torso up with his head titled to the side. Fletcher’s right arm is raised in front of his chest and his other hand is resting on his hip. There are flowers in various colors with green stems around the edges and over top of the central figure. The oil painting has an architectural frame with columns and a raised base. [CRAIG FLETCHER] is painted stylistically in red below the painting. The painting is inset in a detailed architecture frame. There is a painted red star in the upper center of the frame. The wood panel is visible on the reverse and there is a label from the Sean Kelly Gallery with artwork information. There is metal hardware, including D-rings, screws, and brackets, on the reverse.The artist signed and dated the work on the back.