If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I am a huge Empire Fox fan. With tonight being the season finale, I thought it would appropriate to gush a bit about how much I love the show. I tune in weekly to take in the set décor, as well as the bold fashion pieces worn by Cookie, one of the lead characters, portrayed by Taraji P. Henson. I wanted to write about the beautiful set design but I had such a hard time finding quality pictures of the set online, I decided to write about my other reason for tuning in. I also tune in to take in all the amazing art featured on the show. Empire features a wide array of artists and while I am not certain if all the works are originals, I certainly became a fan upon noticing that the show features art from such well known artists as what appears to be Basquiat, Van Gogh, and Klimt, seen in Luscious Lyon’s (Terrence Howard) office and home. During the first episode, I also noticed a few other interesting pieces and while I wasn’t sure at the time, I thought they reminded me of the work of artist Kehinde Wiley. A few episodes later, I noticed a tag line crediting Mr. Wiley for the art seen on the show.
Image courtesy of www.medievalpoc.tumblr.com.
Image courtesy of www.thefarmerandthesnake.tumblr.com.
My first experience of Mr. Wiley’s work was during the ’30 Americans’ exhibit at the Corcoran Museum in Washington, DC. I loved the vivid colors and the juxtaposition of male figures you would not normally see in such large-scale portraits against flowery romantic backgrounds. I love the brash, in your face quality but subtle messaging behind the art Mr. Wiley creates. Take a moment and check out a few images below.
'Le Roi a La Chasse', Kehinde Wiley, 2007, Oil and Enamel on Canvas, 108" x 108".
Image via www.thecreatorsproject.vice.com.
'World Stage, Prince Albert, Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, 2013, Oil on Canvas, 72" x 60". Image via www.pinterest.com.
'Naomi and Her Daughters', Kehinde Wiley, 2013, Oil on Canvas, 108" x 90".
Image via www.thecreatorsproject.vice.com.
*Note, if you are interested in seeing more of the art featured on Empire, click here.