Portraits, especially those ones representing heads of state, are often riddled with symbols: Queen Elizabeth, for example, was usually portrayed as a wise woman, wearing sumptuous gowns embroidered with motifs such as eyes and ears (because she heard and saw it all), the sun (a reference to monarchy) and a snake, a symbol of wisdom. Her gowns were usually also accessorised with pearls, symbols of virginity, wealth and prosperity.
Nowadays we mainly look at and analyse digital photographs and quick Instagram selfies rather than paintings, but earlier on this week there was a chance to rediscover the power of symbols in paintings when the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. very aptly unveiled during Black History Month, the official portraits of former President Barack Obama and of Former First Lady Michelle Obama.
Painted respectively by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, the paintings are definitely not to be considered as traditional portraits.
Los Angeles-born, but New York-based Wiley is known for portraying African Americans in poses borrowed from the white-dominated western art canon.
According to Obama he would have liked to paint him in a more regal way, holding a sceptre or perhaps even riding a horse, an idea that was luckily abandoned in favour of a less grand but more honest vision. Barack Obama is pictured sitting on a chair, surrounded by a wall of lush foliage with some vibrant splashes of colours delivered by symbolic flowers - from chrysanthemums, referencing the official flower of Chicago, to jasmine, symbolising Hawaii, where Barack Obama spent his childhood, and African blue lilies, calling to mind his late Kenyan father. Though the colours are vibrant, in the painting Obama looks distant and maybe a bit cold.
In Amy Sherald's painting former FLOTUS Michelle sits instead against a blue-gray backdrop; she stares at the viewer unsmiling and assorted in a pensive mood.
The former First Lady is wearing a halter gown that fluidly flows in the foreground of the painting. The stretch cotton poplin dress features minimalist decorative elements in a geometrical pattern.
The black and white triangular and striped motifs vaguely call to mind the favoured styles donned by textile and fashion designer Emilie Louise Floge, lover and muse of Gustav Klimt (and they are also slightly reminiscent of some of the patterns seen in Valentino's A/W 2015 collection); while the yellow, blue and pink shades may be references to Mondrian.
Sherald stated that the dress reminded her of the quilts from Gee's Bend, an Alabama-based all-black community known for this craft.
The gown, that ended up stealing the spotlight to many collections and designs on the New York Fashion Week runways, was actually made by American designer Michelle Smith of the label Milly and was based on a look from her S/S 2017 collection.
Former FLOTUS already opted for some Milly designs in the past (including blazers, a striped bell sleeve blouse and wide-leg pants) and choosing a dress by a less known brand rather than a famous luxury label, perfectly represents a First Lady who seemed at ease wearing designer labels, but at the same times didn't disdain brands such as J. Crew or shopping at Target. Besides, the gown was made in New York City, so in the painting there is an indirect reference to the local garment industry as well.
Barack Obama thanked Sherald for "capturing the grace and the beauty and the intelligence and charm and hotness" of his wife, but there is actually more behind the painting. The composition looks modern with Michelle in a strong pose, her chin resting on her right hand, the monumental grandeur of the billowing dress reflecting her strong personality, without turning her into a distant, arrogant and unreachable subject. Though the billowing gown occupies most of the painting, it doesn't swallow the wearer, who still looks confident.
Michelle hopes the artwork will inspire young girls and in particular girls of colour who will visit the gallery, but art-wise also Sherald's life should inspire them since she is also the first woman to win the National Portrait Gallery's Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.
The National Portrait Gallery began commissioning portraits of the president in 1994, with George H W Bush, while commisions of the First Lady started with Hillary Clinton, in 2006. But Wiley and Sherald remain the first African American artists selected (they were chosen from candidates interviewed by the Obamas at the White House). The paintings will hopefully encourage the discourse about African-American artists, introducing a new era for American modern portraits.
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