In Kehinde Wiley works of art, the subjects are people from his neighborhood who were asked to stand in poses from photos of the Renaissance days. Kehinde Wiley commissions works of art to honor those he he paints. He looks up to these people, and portrays them in ways he sees them. The subjects are in artificial poses to portray today's society, while being in the time of the Renaissance.
Wiley's message through his paintings is how he sees today's society. He takes friends from the neighborhood, then puts them in clothes and scenery from the Renaissance. Wiley has updated the Baroque-style paintings by placing more common clothes and "bling" on his subjects.
Wiley's subjects have the same pose as the subjects in the original painting. This pays some tribute to the original subjects. He suggests that everyone has some power. You can take everyday people and put them in the role of famous humans.