The Presidential Portrait is a rite of passage for our former presidents of the United States, and this past week, the National Portrait Gallery welcomed a new pair of paintings with the recent unveiling of the Obama portraits. Our 44th president and First Lady’s paintings came with much anticipation, as Barack Obama chose artist Kehinde Wiley to depict him, while former First Lady Michelle Obama chose Baltimore-based artist Amy Sherald.
The two paintings were much different than past presidential portraits, yet their unique styles set the duo apart from their predecessors in a positive way. As opposed to the typically limited color schemes and political correctness that remains a common theme for prior presidential portraits, the gallery’s newest additions push the limits of color and tradition thus shedding light on America’s creative side, as well as providing a breath of fresh air to an otherwise predictable portrait gallery.
Barack Obama’s painting depicted him sitting in a wooden chair surrounded by vibrant colored flowers swimming in a sea of rich green leaves. Wiley did an amazing job of creating an engaging background, while still keeping Obama as the overwhelming focal point. His caramel skin glistens off the canvas, as his serious gaze stares right back into the eyes of the viewer. Wiley’s style is not one that comes to mind when you hear the word presidential, but in a way, it is what could come to mind when you think of the Obamas. He is known for his style of attention-grabbing backgrounds and a life-like interpretation of his models. As for Wiley’s portrait of Obama, the free spirit and happy attitude that Obama maintained through much of his eight-year tenure in the White House is embodied in the painting through the welcoming flowers and the tone that the picture communicates.
As for Michelle Obama’s portrait, Sherald used the absence of color to bring out the bright hues she included in her piece. Obama was depicted with grey-toned skin in a flowing black and white dress. Patterns of red, yellow, and pink stripes ran up from the bottom, leading viewer’s eyes up to her face, which was complemented by blue nails resting below her chin. Coupled with a light blue background, these colors popped on the black and white background and made the entire piece stand out.
The two new portraits will permanently hang in the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and provide us with a lasting memory of the Obamas’s stay in Washington D.C. They redefined the image for Presidential portraits and reflected the Obamas’s personalities. As the Obamas were famous for their welcoming and relatable personalities, these works of art represent how they maintained an easy going attitude, while still holding the refined seriousness required for running a country. Regardless of political opinions, the brand new Obama portraits defied conformity and resulted in two of the most aesthetically pleasing and unique portraits in the exhibit.
