Analysis Of Napoleon Leading The Army Over The Alps By Kehinde Wiley

The painting created by Kehinde Wiley in 2005 entitled Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps is a modern twist on the 1801 classic painting done by Jacques-Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps. Kehinde Wiley famously recreates this painting by replacing Napoleon Bonaparte with Black man in street wear. This spin-off, however, holds a deeper meaning than a simple artistic recreation. It is Wiley’s way of calling out issues of race and power in today’s society through the use of art. Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David was commissioned by Charles IV, the King of Spain at the time. It was commissioned to commemorate Napoleon’s military victory over the Austrians. The original painting of Napoleon was propaganda at that time

Instead of a powerful white military general as the main subject of the painting, Wiley depicts an ordinary Black man. Wiley chose this man off the street to be in this painting through a process called street casting. The focus of his painting is still a real person, yet this person is essentially a nobody. Wiley paints this “nobody” in the same pose as Napoleon in the original. The pose represents power and leadership. Wiley is giving power to this unknown man. This is his way of contradicting and calling out the issue of power that has been displayed throughout all of history. The man in Wiley’s painting is wearing camouflage pants and top, Timberland boots, and a white bandana around his head. He is also wearing a gold cape. It is similar to the one of Napoleon, expect for being red, it is a vibrant gold. The cape on the back of a modern man is resembling a victory of that man. This unknown man has become a symbol of breaking the “norms” of representation of race and power through this painting. In addition, Wiley painted the names on the stones in the foreground of the painting, while also adding a new name. He painted the name Williams right above that of the name Bonaparte, clearly referring to Napoleon. Williams is a common, but ordinary name. It is just another way that Wiley was able to bring notice to the uneven representation of people with little power in the real