Introduction
The study of art helps people use their creative potential and think critically. The artistic works contain specific stories, sometimes fictitious, and sometimes based on actual events. Nevertheless, they always create a connection with the realities of the time in which they were made. This paper examines two works presented at the National Portrait Gallery online exhibition, their relationship with creation time, and the corresponding culture.
Chosen Cultural Works
The portraits used for analysis in this paper are presented by the National Portrait Gallery and available online. The first portrait depicts the forty-fourth president of America, Barack Obama. It has the corresponding name – President Barack Obama and is painted by the artist Kehinde Wiley (2018). The second one represents the president’s wife; the portrait is named First Lady Michelle Obama and written by Amy Sherald (2018). Paintings are made in the same year and represent a significant period of recent American history.
Mentioned portraits attracted particular attention due to their unusual style. Despite the high official positions of the represented people, the images do not look like formal portraits. President Obama is depicted sitting on a chair and surrounded by bright green leaves as if there is a hedge behind him. Such an image recalls street art, which uses bright colors and depicts political leaders in an unusual environment. The first lady is displayed in a different style – her portrait is painted in grayscale and has ethnic features; it attracts attention when opening an online exhibition. The remarkable pictures of officials and the desire to know what is behind the choice of such styles have become critical reasons for choosing these paintings.
Time Period
The considered portraits are crucial in the context of the history of the country its social, political, and artistic life. The National Portrait Gallery displays the history of America, representing people that contribute to the country’s development and accordingly form its history (“About us,” n.d.). The collection of presidents’ portraits is critical for such a mission of the Gallery (“About us,” n.d.). Portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama became part of the collection in 2018 and quickly won the public’s favor by increasing Gallery attendance several times (White, 2021). Portraits reflect historical changes taking place in society in recent decades.
For a country with a slaveholding past, the first African American President shows a movement toward equality. Therefore, an essential cultural reflection is not only the presentation of portraits but also the fact the artists who created them became the first African Americans invited to paint a presidential couple (Dafoe, 2018). They offer a new perspective on the representation of American prestige and service (Powell, 2020). For example, Obama is portrayed more informally – he does not wear a tie, and the environment in the picture is not ordinary. Still, he achieved many goals during the presidency and brought hope to many Americans. Portraits combined topical social issues and various portrait techniques to present something unusual.
Portraits can also become significant symbols of changes in the country for many communities. They have a particular plot or pay tribute to history. For example, although the president’s portrait has no historical references, the flowers depicted on it are associated with cities and countries important to Obama’s life, including Kenya, his father’s homeland (Wiley, 2018). These flowers can symbolize a person’s past and demonstrate that it can only help achieve goals. In turn, although the first lady’s portrait does not represent race through color due to grisaille, in Obama’s hopes, it will be an inspiration for young women, especially minorities representatives (Dafoe, 2018). A dress in which the woman is depicted pays tribute to Gee’s Bend quilts, which were created by the descendants of enslaved Africans (Sherald, 2018). As a result, both portraits, in their departure from traditional styles, reflect significant cultural, social, and political changes.
Question
Stated question: Does the portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama contribute to understanding the values of American society?
To answer this question, the interested individual needs to analyze the time of creating the portrait, the activities of the depicted person and artist, and draw conclusions about values. In particular, the name of the artist, the name of the portrait, information about the activities of Michelle Obama, and similar questions can serve as search queries. Moreover, the researcher needs to understand some aspects of American history and current events to answer the question posed.
Having studied more information, one will understand that the portrait reflects some of society’s values. In particular, Michelle Obama is an active figure in promoting child health, protecting women’s rights, LGBT rights, and similar areas (Sherald, 2018). Both she and the artist Sherald share the desire to inspire people to defend their rights (Dafoe, 2018; Sherald, 2018). Obama’s contribution to the political process and the involvement of Sherald to paint the portrait also testify to the desire for equality. As a result, the picture displays modern values supported by American society.
Conclusion
National Portrait Gallery presents American history depicted in works of art. Portraits of presidents and first ladies regularly supplement its collection. The recently obtained portraits of the Obama couple differ significantly from the portraits of their predecessors. Their originality contributed to attracting attention to the collection and changes in the American society they represent. Paintings combine original style, artistic attractiveness, attention to modern values, and at the same time, pay tribute to the past.
References
About us. (n.d.). National Portrait Gallery. Web.
Dafoe, T. (2018). Ringing in a new era of presidential portraiture, Barack and Michelle Obama’s portraits are unveiled in Washington, DC. Artnet News. Web.
Powell, R. J. (2020). The Obama portraits in art history and beyond. In T. Caragol, D. Moss, R. Powell, & K. Sajet (Eds.), The Obama portraits (pp. 51-82). Princeton University Press. Web.
Sherald, A. (2018). First Lady Michelle Obama [painting]. National Portrait Gallery, Washington, United States. Web.
White, K. (2021). Kehinde Wiley’s presidential portrait of Barack Obama is arriving in New York. here are 3 things you might not know about it. Artnet News. Web.
Wiley, K. (2018). President Barack Obama [painting]. National Portrait Gallery, Washington, United States. Web.