At the Brookly Museum, art helps show why black lives matter - Essay Example

Terrilyn Whitfield [Insert and number] [Insert [Insert Total number of words: 325 The article d “Atthe Brooklyn Museum, art helps show why black lives matter” by Resnikoff (2015) in Aljazeera America is a brief review of an exhibition of Artist Kehinde Wiley’s portraitures. Using specific portraitures as examples, Resnikoff’s article argues that the exhibition draws attention to the question of why black lives matter by showcasing thought-provoking artwork. It also quotes the differing views of the public and experts about the exhibition.

Resnikoff argues Wiley’s portraitures are reinterpretations of traditional paintings and images of black people on the mainstream media. Resnikoff explains how some of the portraits of modern day black people provoke traditional images of medieval saints by placing them in medieval religious contexts. To support, the article refers to specific exhibits, such as the "Arms of Nicolas Ruterius, Bishop of Arras” and the “Mugshot Study”. He considers Wiley’s artwork as being similar to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which resists de-humanisation of black people and calls for racial justice.

The article also refers to the differences in public view that the exhibition will provoke more public discussions of racial injustice and that it is too difficult to alter the deep-seated attitudes with one exhibition. The content of the article is relevant to the topic, which is how Wiley’s works of art on display at the museum provoke discussions among the public about the value of black lives. The choice of examples helps show how Wiley’s portraitures reinterpret traditional paintings and break the widespread images of black people.

The article also refers to Wiley himself, for example, to show how the artist draws parallels between mugshots and the paintings of the 18th century. The article gives a broad review of the artwork on display by presenting the views of the author, the differing opinions of the public, and discussions of the features of specific works of art on display. References to public opinion balance the argument and evoke interest in the reader about the topic.Work CitedResnikoff, Ned. (March 2, 2015).

At the Brooklyn Museum, art helps show why black lives matter. Aljazeera America. Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/3/2/kehinde-wiley-show-at-brooklyn-museum.html