Art World
Surprise! Twitter Is Divided Over Kehinde Wiley’s and Amy Sherald’s Daring Portraits of the Obamas
Social media went right to work, penning its own reviews of Wiley's and Sherald's portraits.
Social media went right to work, penning its own reviews of Wiley's and Sherald's portraits.
Brian Boucher ShareShare This Article
In a historic moment, the official portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama were unveiled today at the National Portrait Gallery, in the nation’s capital. The first African-American couple to live in the White House are also the first to be painted by African-American artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald.
The artists’ stylistic departure from previous portraits is just as dramatic as the move toward a more inclusive roster of official portraitists. President Obama, in Wiley’s portrait, appears not in front of the backdrop of the Oval Office, but rather in a sea of greenery—and, notably, in an open-necked shirt. Sherald, meanwhile, has crafted an image of Michelle Obama whose impact relies less on a strict resemblance and more on the former first lady’s status as a fashion icon.
Some reviews are already in: In the New York Times, Holland Cotter’s glowing review says that each portrait radiates, “in a different way, gravitas (his) and glam (hers).” Some of the earliest presidents, Cotter notes, were slaveholders, making today’s unveiling a particularly dramatic departure from any previous one. Philip Kennicott, writing for the Washington Post, says that “both painters have managed to create compelling likenesses without sacrificing key aspects of their signature styles.”
Social media is writing its own collective review, and a survey of Twitter reveals the portraits are just as divisive as they are daring.
Prominent black writers, art experts, and other cultural figures weighed in: They’re jazzed.
That these will hang in the National Portrait Gallery is one thing, exposing audiences likely to be predominantly white to conspicuous blackness. But I am most looking forward to seeing reprints framed in homes, taped to dormitory walls, and affixed to refrigerators by magnets. pic.twitter.com/LE9OLi0jk5
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) February 12, 2018
You made us proud, @asherald! #MichelleObama #YallAdopting? https://t.co/iqakKTyUkj pic.twitter.com/DG544Hc6TG
— kimberly rose drew (@museummammy) February 12, 2018
Is there a photoshopper in the house tonight that can photoshop these onto some church fans. Asking for a friend. pic.twitter.com/5qUNTpYdrm
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) February 12, 2018
Inevitably, some observers couldn’t help but riff on the Obamas’ portraits to compare them to the current occupants of the White House, to comment on Trump’s reversal of Obama’s policies, and to imagine what the Trumps’ portraits are liable to look like.
come back pic.twitter.com/R3SZ7Pmdf5
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 12, 2018
help us pic.twitter.com/dbjYjz2CsW
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 12, 2018
Here is a live look at what Trump is doing to Obama’s legacy…#ObamaPortraits pic.twitter.com/VuKx8deLDK
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 12, 2018
Congratulations Barack Obama on having the last presidential portrait that isn’t available to purchase for $79.99 on a commemorative trucker hat
— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) February 12, 2018
Trump is "frantic" about Obama portraits – feels he's being upstaged. Making staff drop everything & reach out to artists – wants "multiple sculptures."
— Rogue WH Snr Advisor (@RogueSNRadvisor) February 12, 2018
I CANT BELIEVE WE ONCE HAD A PRESIDENT COOL ENOUGH TO BE PAINTED BY KEHINDE WILEY
TRUMP'S PORTRAIT GON BE PAINTED BY THE LADY WHO DID THIS TO JESUS pic.twitter.com/q5Ofi3EvR7
— Tracy Boomeisha-Ann Clayton (@brokeymcpoverty) February 12, 2018
Some observers mocked the garden motif in the former president’s portrait, which they see as having a few notable precedents.
Obama's new portrait looks awfully familiar… pic.twitter.com/S5wenGJTPq
— Colleen Wordock (@cwordock) February 12, 2018
Wow quite a presidential portrait Obama pic.twitter.com/GlvljHSBVR
— Chicago Reader (@Chicago_Reader) February 12, 2018
The fuck kind of presidential portrait is this pic.twitter.com/AOvdwEGQBh
— ?? (@stpresses) February 12, 2018
Plenty of observers don’t see much likeness in the first lady’s portrait:
Why did Michelle Obama use her stunt double for her National Portrait Gallery sitting?
Strange…
— thebradfordfile (@thebradfordfile) February 12, 2018
Congrats to Regina King on her portrait being placed in the National Portrait Gallery! pic.twitter.com/1DENQ8WKQS
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) February 12, 2018
For some, the leafy background in Wiley’s painting recalled an image of another famous American father. Commentators left and right jumped on the Homer train, one grabbing the opportunity for an indictment of the former president’s military policies, another echoing the conclusions of a certain Devin Nunes-authored memo.
Obama looks like someone asked him about his drone strike record pic.twitter.com/cayKuPIZaS
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) February 12, 2018
Trump: Obama tapped me
Obama: Psssh, where's your evidence?
Trump: <unfurls FISA paper trail>
Obama: <backs into bushes> pic.twitter.com/52z0haxXSh— Trump Babe (@TrumpBabe69) February 12, 2018
Had things gone differently in November 2016, a different president would have been in office for the unveiling of the Wiley and Sherald portraits. Some on the right took the opportunity to poke fun at Hillary for losing.
For all you art lovers talking about Obama’s portrait, I present…. pic.twitter.com/DNC6SsmkIH
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) February 12, 2018
BREAKING: Obama portrait location revealed to be the Chappaqua woods. pic.twitter.com/avbhwRY0G8
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) February 12, 2018
Â
One comedian saw—in a creepy, bargain-basement painting of a child—a portrait of one of Trump’s best-known surrogates.
Everyone’s so obsessed w the Obama official portraits but please do not sleep on Kellyanne’s pic.twitter.com/bvBNUjyOoj
— Marcia Belsky (@MarciaBelsky) February 12, 2018