The Obama Portraits Tour: Brooklyn Dispatch
On the Fourth Floor of the august Brooklyn Museum of Art, there is a gallery that temporarily features two large portraits. One is of Barack Hussein Obama and the other is of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama. The portraits of the former President and the former First Lady appear on a wall in the middle of this gallery, just a few feet apart. On nearby walls of this gallery there are smaller displays, featuring photographs and text about the making of these two portraits, how the Obamas selected and worked with the two portrait painters, and more. On a wall further along in the gallery, there are videos being shown about these portraits and about their place in the scheme of United States presidential portraits.
The #ObamaPortraitsTour involves five cities and five museums of art around the United States, in a travelling exhibition that was organized by the National Portrait Gallery, part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Brooklyn Museum is the second stop, and will show these two paintings from August 27 through October 24, 2021. The Art Institute of Chicago was the first stop, and the other three after Brooklyn will be Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston.
Walk into this gallery and approach them in a few ways: gazing at them together; studying one and then the other; getting up close (but not too close, due to a barrier on the floor) in order to focus in on a few details of these two well known portraits. The day I viewed these portraits was August 25th, the Press Day, so it was not too crowded. The Museum is handling the viewings with timed tickets so hopefully it won’t be too crowded each time a visitor comes to see the paintings. It is preferable to find yourself admiring the portraits if it isn’t a mob scene.
Mr. Obama’s portrait was painted by Kehinde Wiley, and Mrs. Obama’s portrait was painted by Amy Sherald. Wiley and Sherald were the first African American artists commissioned to paint a Presidential and First Lady portrait, quite fitting for the first African American President and his African American wife.
Just as the Obamas were so different from all the other preceding presidential couples, in a variety of ways, their portraits are as well. These two paintings “tweak the tradition” of portraits that dates back to that of George and Martha Washington. Portraiture is so many centuries old, but is always fascinating and always in demand. And even though photography has made it so easy for people around the world to look at representations of their political leaders, it is still a formidable experience to look at a painted portrait of a famous leader or person, in person.
- Seeing the Portraits
As a lifelong devotee of the Brooklyn Museum, I was quite pleased and even proud that the museum was selected for the honor of exhibiting these two portraits. The Brooklyn Museum is in the “heart” of Brooklyn, adjacent to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden; together these three are among the most popular attractions in New York City, let alone Brooklyn. And the fact that the Brooklyn Museum, not an art museum in Manhattan, was selected, is rather interesting. Not the Metropolitan Museum of Art, nor the Whitney Museum of American Art, nor the Museum of Modern Art, nor another. From its exterior the Brooklyn Museum, with its neo-classical design coupled with contemporary touches and renovations, and a yellow sign that reads “YO” or “OY,” depending upon which way you approach it, looks like a typical senior American museum of art. And it does feature old pieces within its collections, which include world-famous ancient Egyptian relics. But it is also known for displaying contemporary art that has at times been controversial, or at least has sparked heated conversations (for example, the infamous “The Holy Virgin Mary” portrait by Chris Ofili, which sparked a scandal when exhibited in 1999.)
The Obama portraits are unusual in themselves because of how they are rendered. Mr. Obama’s portrait shows him seated on a chair, wearing a dark suit but no tie, his arms crossed. His face and his hands stand out: a serious look on his face, his long fingers casually arranged. His feet are somewhat hidden by leaves and flowers. In fact that is perhaps the most unusual aspect of this portrait: the green leaves and occasional flowers of various colors that fill this portrait. Who would expect to see a president’s image rendered in such a manner? But it works and does not detract from the image of the man himself, who for eight years was the leader of the United States.
Mrs. Obama’s portrait at first glance seems more of a typical portrait, with a pale blue background. Her portrait is recognizably her, but it seems dominated by the intriguing sleeveless dress she wears. It seems to be more like an abstract work of art than a piece of clothing. We don’t see what Mrs. Obama is sitting upon, and her arms are arrayed differently: her left arm casually over her knee, her right arm propping up her chin. Her skin tone and hair almost seem as if they are in a black-and-white photograph, whereas Mr. Obama’s skin tone and hair are realistic, close matches to his actual appearance.
I was more familiar with the Mr. Obama portrait, which has been reprinted many times in the news media. But I was quite taken with the Mrs. Obama portrait, and couldn’t resist selfieing with it. It has an elegance and grace that is arresting. And it is important to note that both portraits show their subjects gazing at us. They look at us, the audience, the whole world, rather than looking to the side, or off into the distance.
Both portraits fit well into the continuum of portraiture from time immortal, but each is unique in several aspects. Each has gravity but neither is stuffy, nor overly formal. No tie?! A long dress that resembles a painting itself?! These make statements, indeed.
- Comparing the Barack Obama portrait to the George Washington portraits
The Brooklyn Museum has in its collection two priceless portraits of the first American president, George Washington. One was painted by Charles Wilson Peale and the other was painted by Gilbert Stuart. Both are familiar to millions of people, from textbooks and the internet. The Stuart portrait is formal and stiff; Washington is dressed in a suit and coat, extends his right arm and hand, and he is surrounded by a few pieces of fancy furniture. The Peale portrait is more casual, and he seems to smile slightly.
These two paintings are shown in the Fifth floor galleries of the Museum, and they are a remarkable contrast with the Obama painting. If you looked at all three without context, you might just see the trends and fashions of different ages in time. Looked at in context, you should be amazed to see these two very different men, who both occupied the office of the American presidency.
One of these men never went to college, had a military career, and owned slaves. The other man not only went to a top college but also graduated with a law degree, but had no military career. Both had American born mothers.
What would George Washington think about Barack Obama not only being an American president, but what would he think about this portrait by Kehinde Wiley?
- Comparing to other portraits in the Museum
In the Fifth floor galleries there are two portraits of African American women; one of Angela Davis, painted by Wadsworth A. Jarrell and a self-portrait by Faith Ringgold. There are similarities between these two portraits and that of the Michelle Obama portrait. The closer comparisons can be drawn between the Michelle Obama and Faith Ringgold paintings; in both, the women wear dresses, are painted with their heads tilted slightly forward with the left cheek, and in both their arms and hands are prominent. However, Mrs. Obama does look at us, while Ringgold seems to look off into space.
The Angela Davis portrait is highly stylized and while we also see her left cheek and eye forward, there are words all over the Davis painting, and only one hand appears. She is not looking forward but to the side.
I bring together these three portraits because each shows a well known African American woman, in the same museum, and each represents different styles. They are also vastly different from the two George Washington portraits.
Also on the Fifth floor is an Alex Katz-painted portrait of an African American man, the artist-filmmaker Arthur Jafa. This large portrait shows Jafa’s face only, and not even completely. We see his eyes, eyebrows, nost, lips, cheeks, and facial hair, but no neck. He looks directly at viewers. It has a very different feel from the Mr. Obama portrait.
On the First floor in a temporary exhibition, there is another portrait of a Black man, “The Jerome Project” by Titus Kaphar. It shows the man’s face, his head bald, but there is a lacquered piece of dark wood that covers his face from under his nostrils. This would be a rather curious rendering for a president, because we would expect to see his full face.
- Marketing the Obama Portraits
T-shirts, books, prints and a few other types of souvenirs are available in the Brooklyn Museum gift shop, if you want to wear or read about or decorate your house or office (or give as a gift). This is the modern world, and we wear our art, display it on our walls, and the like.
Think of all the T-shirts you have seen of President Obama; the T-shirt of Mrs. Obama is less typical. The shirts are side by side on a display table; perhaps a husband and wife could wear them and stand side by side.
- The Embarrassing Incident
When I walked toward the portrait of President Obama, I made sure to avoid touching a photographer’s camera which was mounted on a tripod. But I misjudged a barrier on the floor and tripped over it, and put out my hands to stop my fall. Unfortunately my hands both made contact with the Obama portrait. (It is shielded by a glass pane.) People gasped as this happened, and I was deeply embarrassed. A worker came rushing up to me and I thought I was going to be in trouble. I wasn’t but she asked me how I stumbled, and asked me to show her where I made contact with the painting. My hands had touched the part of the painting showing his chair. And I apologized but pointed out that I had not seen the barrier because it was white, just like the wall!
I suggested the staff put a reflective strip or other warning on the barrier so that other visitors would not have the same misfortune as I. The worker was polite and I felt a bit less like an oaf, even though a few other people glared at me. I’m sorry!
This is actually a teachable moment, as we pedagogues are wont to point out: if there is a problem, solve it. I know that I won’t be the only visitor who wants to get up close to the paintings. I had wanted to examine the painted hands. Prevent more stumbling.
If you are in Brooklyn, or New York City, or New York State, or nearby New Jersey or Connecticut, you should visit the Brooklyn Museum and see these amazing portraits in person. Don’t just see them on the Web or in publications, see them in person.
These portraits are important to see if you admire art, if you wish to grasp a bit of American history and culture, and certainly to understand aspects of African American history and culture. They are groundbreaking pieces that fit into the general world of art, especially contemporary art, yet stand out. Wiley and Sherald both gave the world pieces of art and of portraiture that are stirring yet highly accessible. All ages will be able to admire these portraits and find them inspirational.
The Obama Portraits Tour will be on view for just eight weeks, from August 27 to October 24, 2021.