Kadir Nelson and the King of Pop painting

For Michael Jackson’s recent project, his foundation asked everyone involved to do their work in the same way that Michael would have felt satisfied if he were here. "No questions—just do it!" Kadir Nelson is the painter of a large painting of Michael Jackson called “King of Pop,” and in one sentence, it tells his story. Part of this painting has become the cover design for his new album. In 2003, in Marvin Gaye’s recording studio, Michael was recording the song One More Chance for the Number Ones collection. His eyes fell on a painting that Nelson had created about Marvin Gaye’s life. He immediately picked up the phone and told Kadir to paint something like that for him. Of course, with one small difference: "I want it to be bigger." Nelson began his research and read the biography book about Michael written by himself, “Moonwalk.” Issues came up and the project was forgotten. It was after Michael’s death that John McClain—an old friend and colleague, and one of the supervisors of his foundation—called Nelson and issued an order: "It’s time to create the painting Michael asked you for. Don’t ask any questions. Just paint it. We’ll decide later what to do with it." That painting is now a valuable keepsake for the Jackson family. Jackie Jackson, in a joint interview he did with Kadir Nelson for USA Today, recalls a memory for every part of the painting. Even their father Joe’s guitar—designed with a broken string—captures a precious moment. Jackie says: "Tito broke the string. We hid it in his closet. When Dad saw it, he asked, ‘Whose work is this?’ We all pointed to Tito. He said, ‘So you know how to play the guitar.’ And that’s how the Jackson family legend began." All kinds of signs of Michael Jackson can be seen in this artistic masterpiece. For example, in the background of the work, MTV’s moon landing flag is raised—an allusion to the power Michael Jackson gave to this network through his music and art. Nelson himself points out a subtle detail that may remain hidden to some, and calls it a surprising element in the work. He connects Germain’s hand as a member of the Jackson Five to the house shown as representing the Motown music company by a string. He explains that when the brothers left Motown, he—who was the son-in-law of the owner of the company—stayed with Motown. Many such details can be found in the painting. Don’t forget Michael’s big figure holding a water gun, with his children around him. The water gun is a family pastime. The grief over Michael’s death initially weakened the artist. But he felt he had found a new opportunity to breathe life into this forgotten project. He immediately responded positively to the foundation. "I did it because I thought it would be a very important document, and also a tribute to Michael’s life." Nelson describes this painting as a broad perspective on Michael Jackson’s life, music, and career, and explains that in order to honor the King of Pop’s perfectionism, he tried—so far as he was able—to work on this piece. "I felt I owed him, his family, and his fans that I create the best possible work." In the same studio where Teddy Riley and others were busy completing Michael’s album, Nelson and Jackie—Michael’s brother—worked on this painting. Jackie’s job was to provide information about certain details. When it was completed, McClain and Michael’s brothers, Jackie and Marlon, praised Nelson. Just like the artistic and admiring video by Mark Platt, the director of Hold My Hand, the King of Pop painting is also an artistic attempt to display the unattainable magic of Michael Jackson. With dimensions of 9 by 4.5 feet (width 2.7 by length 1.4 meters), this is the biggest work Nelson has ever created. Work on this artistic masterpiece began in August 2009 and was completed in October 2010. Source: eMJey / MTV