At around this time two years ago, I became deeply interested in Kerry James Marshall’s paintings. I remember his 2018 retrospective, “Mastry,” at the Met Breur with clarity. The exhibition, which included eighty works, countered stereotypical representations of African Americans. Although I had seen Marshall’s works before, this was the first time that I really was struck by his use of pitch black to color his subjects skin. Their skin tones force the viewer to confront and challenge the art world’s status quo. 
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It is so interesting to compare how Kerry James Marshall and Kehinde Wiley take such different approaches to depicting black bodies and in particular skin yet both successfully raise questions about representation of black subjects in art. The use of pitch black reminds me a bit of how color film photography in its earlier stages was inept at capturing darker skin tones (because technology was developed around white subjects). Running with this comparison, it is almost like Kerry James Marshalls work represents how art has not historically looked to represent black people (older photography) while Kehinde Wiley represents a new age of better representation in art (newer photography).
Yeah I think his choice to depict the black skin tone with relative uniformity is very interesting. I’ve heard he did it in order to avoid questions from critics about decisions to color one figure one complexion versus another. I also think his choice has the added effect of producing a solidarity among his works’ multiple subjects, differentiating them in other ways (posture, dress) while connecting them through heritage.