Kehinde Wiley, Rumors of War

Summary

• The video visits the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to discuss Kehinde Wiley’s large equestrian sculpture, connecting it to monument culture in Richmond, Virginia—specifically the history of Confederate monuments on Monument Avenue.
• It explains how Wiley’s work fits into a larger artistic lineage and corrective tradition regarding who is depicted within “classic” styles of power:
  • Classical/public monumental art is described as historically centered on white figures in a marble tradition.
  • Later breakthroughs are noted for artists who created sculptural work with Black and Indigenous subjects (referenced historically in the subtitles).
• The sculpture is framed as a counter-narrative to the one-sided symbolic language of existing monuments:
  • The speaker argues that Monument Avenue previously offered “no counter narrative,” so Wiley designed a “monumental response” through visual symbolism.

Creative / Production Process and Timeframe

• Wiley is said to have conceived the project during a visit in 2016.
• He completed it in 2019, described as occurring months before the 2020 uprising and civil unrest following killings (notably discussed in the subtitles).

Art-Historical Technique / Visual Strategy

• The sculpture is described as modeled after the J.E.B. Stuart equestrian monument.
• Wiley draws on an ancient-to-modern tradition of bronze equestrian monuments that use horseback riders to represent victorious power.
• He replaces the original heroic rider with a contemporary Black youth, with styling described as jeans, hoodie, fade, and dread-like hair in a bun.
• The pose is described in terms of body mechanics and narrative:
  • The rider pulls back on the reins with one hand.
  • He uses a foot for leverage to turn his torso and look behind, evoking a ruler’s gaze back toward “troops” or a turning action.
  • The pose is presented as embedding multiple moments of time within a single image—an unfolding narrative.

Intended Emotional and Social Impact

• The speaker describes how standing beneath such monuments can create awe and dread for a Black viewer—an effect the artist leverages intentionally.
• The subtitles suggest the work offers hope for the future and interprets the sculpture as a response to upheaval, including a biblical reference about wars/rumors of wars and the need not to lose hope.

Conceptual Question: Legacy Monuments and Alternative Responses

• The video frames Wiley’s approach as an alternative to simple destruction, including options such as:
  • destroying monuments,
  • relocating them to a different kind of museum, or
  • leaving them and recontextualizing them.
• Wiley is described as providing a “new kind of monument” that reflects present-day identity and values.

Creators / Contributors Mentioned

• Kehinde Wiley
• Sarah Eckhart (colleague who took Wiley on a tour)
• Edmonia Lewis
• Augusta Savage
• Elizabeth Catlett
• J.E.B. Stuart (subject of the referenced historic monument)
• Monument Avenue / Richmond (contextual setting)
• Ahmad Arbery and George Floyd (referenced in the historical context)