The Daily Caller reported that in 2015, the Village Voice described Wiley's selection of male street models as "predatory" and "perverse." An art blog, Mr. Sawyer's Opus, described Wiley's themes of gay culture and his habit of filling the backgrounds and frame designs of many of his works with dozens of spermatozoa.Cindy Simpson "The selection of the artists painting the Obamas' new portraits commissioned for the Smithsonian revealed much more than two pieces of "art."
"One would surely think that the chosen artists of the former president and first lady of the United States would have been carefully vetted – for quality of work, appropriateness of artistic style for the venue, and reputation in the community.
. . . "That "something extra" is apparently the calling card of the artist. And, fittingly, the provocative nature of such a selection is also the calling card of Obama.
"Of course, in all the mainstream media gushing about the painting and its painter, a disturbing career history and reputation were left unquestioned. With just a little research, it's not difficult to discover.
"In a 2012 piece on Wiley in New York Magazine, the very first paragraph described a painting in his studio that "stands out: a tall, elegant black woman in a long blue dress – the canvas is enormous, eight feet by ten feet – calmly staring down the viewer. In one hand, she holds a knife. In the other, a cleanly severed brunette female head. 'It's sort of a play on the "kill whitey" thing,' Wiley says.' " . . .
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