Lena Rivera
Former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama have had several official portraits painted of them, including a set of portraits by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery in 2018. While the Obamas have not explicitly expressed their feelings about the paintings, they were involved in the selection of the artists and had an immediate connection with Sherald. The paintings drew strong reactions from critics and the public, with some praising the works and others feeling ambivalent about them. Michelle Obama has reflected on her time in the White House and the scrutiny of her appearance in her podcast and upcoming book, The Look.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Amy Sherald |
| Medium | Oil on linen |
| Size | 6 ft x 5 ft |
| Skin tone | Shades of grey |
| Dress | Geometric print dress designed by Michelle Smith |
| Exhibition | First exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery on February 12, 2018 |
| Attendance | Attendance at the National Portrait Gallery doubled in the two years after the unveiling |
| Representation | The painting prompted a conversation about the value of representation in art |
| Podcast | Michelle Obama has opened up about her time as First Lady and its aftermath on her podcast with her brother, "IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson" |
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What You'll Learn
Michelle Obama chose Amy Sherald to paint her portrait
Obama and Sherald had an immediate connection, with Obama describing their first meeting: "Within the first few minutes of our conversation, I knew she was the one for me". Sherald, who is also African American, typically does not take individual portrait commissions but instead selects sitters for her portraits from the people she meets in her everyday life. She felt that Obama shared the relatability and authentic presence of her past sitters, which made her feel accessible to ordinary people.
The portrait is a large oil painting on linen, standing 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide. Obama's face, arms, and hands are stylized in shades of gray, an artistic technique known as grisaille, a key theme in Sherald's works. The background is a simple blue, evoking American folk art. The dress Obama wears in the portrait was designed by Michelle Smith and chosen by Obama with input from Sherald. It features a geometric print and flows outward, filling the frame.
The portrait was immensely popular with museum visitors, doubling the National Portrait Gallery's attendance in the two years after its unveiling. It has been praised by critics, with art and architecture critic Philip Kennicott describing Sherald's portrait as portraying Obama with "a curious mix of confidence and vulnerability". Obama's stylist noted that the dress was symbolic, referencing the former first lady's modernity and approachability.
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Sherald's use of grayscale
Amy Sherald, the artist behind former First Lady Michelle Obama's portrait, uses her signature grayscale to depict her subjects' skin tones. Sherald's use of grayscale is a deliberate choice intended to challenge conventions about skin colour and race. She wants her subjects to become universal, acting as mirrors of their viewers and notable for their familiarity rather than their race.
Sherald's decision to use grayscale is influenced by her desire to reshape art history and address the lack of representation of people of colour in museums and art history. She recognises the power she holds as a figurative painter to shift expectations and create unseen narratives. By using grayscale, Sherald aims to push her figures into the mainstream art historical narrative and explore the interiority of Black Americans.
The use of grayscale in the portrait of Michelle Obama has been interpreted as a way to encourage viewers to see her in her entirety as a person, rather than solely through her racial identity. The grey skin tone prompts viewers to consider both her race and humanity, drawing attention to her skin colour while also reducing the reference to her race. This duality creates a complex and thought-provoking dynamic within the portrait.
In conclusion, Sherald's use of grayscale in the portrait of Michelle Obama is a powerful and intentional choice that challenges conventions, encourages universal relatability, and addresses the lack of representation of people of colour in art. By using grayscale, Sherald reshapes art history, creates unseen narratives, and invites viewers to contemplate complex themes of race, identity, and humanity.
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Sherald's portrait doesn't capture Obama's warmth
While the portrait of Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald has received praise from critics and the public, some have commented that it does not capture her warmth. This view is not shared by Michelle Obama herself, who chose Sherald as the artist for her portrait, citing an immediate connection between the two.
The painting is a large oil-on-linen work, standing six feet tall and five feet wide. It depicts Obama in Sherald's signature grisaille, a type of grayscale, with her arms, hands, and face stylized in shades of grey. The dress she wears in the portrait is symbolic, referencing the former first lady's modernity and approachability, and was designed by Michelle Smith.
Some critics have commented that the portrait does not capture the warmth, openness, and physical animation that they associate with Michelle Obama. Holland Cotter of the New York Times, for example, expressed his hope for "a bolder, more incisive image of the strong-voiced person I imagine this former first lady to be". Other critics have noted that the painting is dramatic, lovely, unique, and bold, and that it captures the essential qualities and challenges of Michelle Obama's role and identity.
The portrait has proven popular with the public, with the National Portrait Gallery's attendance doubling in the two years after its unveiling. The painting has also been the subject of a viral photograph of a two-year-old African American girl staring at it in awe, prompting a conversation about the value of representation in art.
In addition to the Sherald portrait, Michelle Obama has also had an official portrait created for the White House collection by artist Sharon Sprung.
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Sherald's painting style and vision
Amy Sherald, the artist behind the portrait of Michelle Obama, is known for her paintings that address the historical omission of Black people in portraiture. Her works reference ideals and imagery historically associated with what it means to be American, with a goal of expanding debates about race and representation. Sherald's upbringing in Columbus, Georgia, where she attended a predominantly white private school, influenced the specific themes of her paintings. She recalls being highly conscious of how she spoke and dressed, believing that these behaviours were key to social acceptance and assimilation. This experience made her conscious of race and related social cues from an early age.
Sherald's paintings are described as a form of figurative painting that transcends portraiture, acknowledging racial identity and moving beyond it to highlight shared humanity. She typically invites people she meets in her everyday life to sit for a photography session and then paints from the photographs. She chooses individuals who embody a particular idea or narrative she wants to put forth in the world, developing a story within each work through the figure's pose and facial expression, as well as the use of colour, clothing, and titling.
In her portrait of Michelle Obama, Sherald used her signature grisaille technique, rendering Obama's face, arms, and hands in shades of grey. The dress Obama wears in the portrait references the former first lady's modernity and approachability, with visual affinities to the quilts of Gee's Bend, a remote black community of the descendants of former slaves. The grey tones also reference nineteenth-century photographic traditions, where the emerging medium allowed free African Americans to celebrate themselves and craft their own unique identities.
Sherald's unique style invites the viewer to contemplate the inner lives of her subjects. Critics have praised her work for capturing the essential qualities and challenges of Michelle Obama's role and identity. The portrait has been described as elegant and enigmatic, with Obama gazing directly out at the viewer, inviting contemplation.
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The importance of representation in art
The unveiling of the portraits of former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2018 was a significant moment in American history, with the Obamas becoming the first African-American couple to join the historic collection of presidential portraits. However, the importance of these paintings extends beyond their historical significance and lies in the powerful message of representation they convey.
Michelle Obama's portrait, created by African-American artist Amy Sherald, is a powerful statement of representation for women and people of colour. The former First Lady, who was the first African-American to hold this position, recognised the impact that seeing someone who looks like them in such a prominent position could have. She understood that her portrait would inspire young people, especially girls and girls of colour, who would see someone who shares their identity hanging on the walls of a great American institution. This sentiment is echoed in the viral photograph of a young African-American girl, Parker Curry, staring in awe at the portrait, sparking conversations about the value of representation in art.
Amy Sherald's artistic choices further enhanced the impact of the portrait. Sherald's use of grisaille, a technique involving shades of grey, draws attention to Michelle Obama's racial identity. While the grey tones reduce the direct reference to her race, they also highlight her skin colour, inviting contemplation on both her race and humanity. This use of grisaille connects to nineteenth-century photographic traditions, where free African Americans utilised the emerging medium to celebrate and craft their own unique identities. By employing this technique, Sherald's portrait not only represents Michelle Obama but also pays homage to the historical representation of African Americans in art.
The symbolism in the portrait extends beyond the use of colour. The dress designed by Michelle Obama's stylist, Michelle Smith, holds symbolic significance. The geometric print of the dress references modern art movements like Pop and Op art, while also echoing the quilts of Gee's Bend, a remote black community in Alabama. These quilts symbolise the independence and resourcefulness of the African American experience, adding another layer of representation and cultural significance to the portrait.
The representation in the portrait is not limited to visual elements but also extends to the artist herself. Amy Sherald, a rising star in the art world, is an African-American woman. By choosing Sherald, Michelle Obama not only supported and amplified the voice of a talented artist but also ensured that her own story and identity would be portrayed through the lens of someone with shared experiences. This collaboration between the subject and the artist resulted in a powerful message of representation, inspiring and empowering individuals who have historically been underrepresented in the world of art and politics.
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Frequently asked questions
Michelle Obama felt that her portrait connected to the past artistic traditions of the quilts of Gee’s Bend, a remote black community of the descendants of former slaves. She also felt that the dress was symbolic, referencing her modernity and approachability.
Barack Obama felt that Kehinde Wiley's art reflected his and Michelle's contribution to making America more inclusive and optimistic. He also felt that Wiley's portraits challenged the way people view power and privilege.
Barack and Michelle Obama felt humbled by the experience of having their portraits displayed in the National Portrait Gallery. They also felt that it was an opportunity to shape how people see the office of the American presidency and how they might see themselves in that presidency.
The portrait received mixed reactions from critics. Some commentators complained that they felt it did not look like Michelle Obama. Elizabeth Wellington of the Philadelphia Inquirer said that Mrs Obama looked "more like Kerry Washington than Mrs. O". Holland Cotter of the New York Times expressed his skepticism and hoped for "a bolder, more incisive image". However, the portrait was immensely popular with museum visitors, doubling the National Portrait Gallery's attendance in the two years after its unveiling.
