Obama unveils official portraits, jokes about wife's 'hotness'

 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama greets artist Kehinde Wiley during the unveiling of his portrait at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Barack Obama joked about his ears and gray hair and praised his wife Michelle Obama's "hotness" at the unveiling of the couple's official portraits at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery on Monday.

 

The Obamas selected artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald for the paintings, which take their place in the National Portrait Gallery's collection of presidential portraits.

 

Wiley and Sherald were the first black artists ever commissioned to paint a president or first lady for the Smithsonian.

 

For Obama's portrait by Wiley, the former president is depicted sitting in a brown chair with a backdrop of bright green leaves and colourful flowers. Sherald's painting of Michelle Obama shows her sitting with one hand under her chin and the other draped across her lap, while wearing a long flowing dress decorated with geometric shapes.

 

Former U.S. President Barack Obama sits with former first lady Michelle Obama prior during the unveiling of their portraits at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

 

Obama, the first African-American U.S. president, complimented Sherald for her portrait of Michelle.

 

"I want to thank you for so spectacularly capturing the grace and beauty and intelligence and charm and hotness of the woman that I love," Obama said.

 

He quipped that Wiley, who painted his portrait, was at a disadvantage because his subject was "less becoming."

 

"I tried to negotiate less gray hair and Kehinde's artistic integrity would not allow him to do what I asked," Obama said in tongue-in-cheek fashion. "I tried to negotiate smaller ears - struck out on that as well."

 

New York Times art critic Holland Cotter said while he was impressed by Barack Obama's unusual depiction, he was disappointed that the focus of Michelle Obama's portrait appeared to be her dress.

 

"I was anticipating — hoping for — a bolder, more incisive image of the strong-voiced person I imagine this former first lady to be," Cotter said in his review.

 

Most Twitter posts described the portraits as stunning, although a few criticized them as poorly executed.

 

"Behold the beauty of Barack and Michelle Obama's official portrait," tweeted @newyorknewart.

 

Michelle Obama said she hoped the portrait would have an impact on young girls of colour in the years ahead.

 

"They will look up and they will see an image of someone who looks like them, hanging on the wall of this great American institution," she said. "I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives, because I was one of those girls."

 

The Portrait Gallery's tradition of commissioning presidential portraits began with President George H.W. Bush. Other portraits were acquired as gifts, bought at auctions or through other means.

 

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Kieran Murray, Susan Thomas and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-13

It looks like an art school project. What did he grow out of a tree with a chair stuck to his butt? 

A lame painting for a lame president is fitting I guess. The Michelle portrait is definitely better although an uncomfortable looking pose.

Edited February 13, 20188 yr by canuckamuck

1 minute ago, canuckamuck said:

It looks like an art school project. What did he grow out of a tree with a chair stuck to his butt? 

A lame painting for a lame president is fitting I guess. The Michelle portrait is definitely better although an uncomfortable looking pose.

When I first saw the portraits this morning I thought it was just someone trolling. Dreadful portraits with not much likeness to the subjects, how embarrassing. I get the feeling they did not choose the artist on artistic ability, which is a real shame. One mitigating factor - it is not the worst public portrait - that award goes to Rolf Harris's hilarious portrait of her majesty Queen Elizabeth, and no. One was not amused!

... affirmative action?  ...anyway at least Barak is recognizable,  is that Michelle? awful painting They should have chosen the artist for ability over race and gender but r and g are what matters now.

Fantastic works!

 

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/barack-michelle-obama-official-portraits-unveiled/index.html

Love the large hand covering the adam's apple 

21 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

Love the large hand covering the adam's apple 

 

And such comments help to cement the misogynistic trait that Trump supporters share. Typical.

 

 

57 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Fantastic works!

 

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/barack-michelle-obama-official-portraits-unveiled/index.html

Absolutely FANTASTIC daaaaaling!!

 

The likeness is ok ,but the background looks like something he pulled from the background on my Grandmothers desktop computer.

It looks nothing like her. His is a good likeness but what's with the leaves?

2 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

It looks nothing like her. His is a good likeness but what's with the leaves?

Up to him. If Mr Obama wants to be painted in a misty jungle that is his choice. 

I thought that Michelle's portrait was in actual fact one of the daughters.

Obama's portrait is starting to grow on me. Can't really appreciate it from just a photograph, but the brush work on the hands and face looks exquisite. The floral backdrop initially startled me, but began to make sense when you see the flowers enveloping the chair and his legs: of the people, of the world, of nature, an awareness of one's place in the universe, awareness of one's mortality, and a determination to do the most good for the most people in the limited amount of time we have on this planet. In short, a reflection of his values as President.

Edited February 13, 20188 yr by Gecko123

Comfortably the best US presidential couple in the White House since WW II, possibly ever.

Some people say she wasn't a real woman!

9 minutes ago, Different said:

Some people say she wasn't a real woman!

What people? Morons? 

The usual trump trolls participating in their synchronised circle jerk. 

 

If there was an olympic sport these guys would be undisputed sore wrist gold medalists. 

7 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

Love the large hand covering the adam's apple 

 

Apparently you don't even understand how painting works.  It's not like photography, where you'd have to use an object to block something objectionable or photoshop it afterwards.  In a painting, you just don't paint the objectionable thing.

 

Or maybe you just have a thing for women with man-hands and adam's apples.

Who in the hell painted it .a first year art student? Its awful

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Oh i just read the article its cos they is black. I hate PC why not just pick a good artist.no matter if their black white or orange with red stripes?

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It's not surprising the deplorable set doesn't appreciate fine art that defies boring convention.

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10 hours ago, DoctorG said:

It looks nothing like her. His is a good likeness

If likeness was the aim the artist could have simply taken a photograph or made a painting from a photograph.

 

6 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Comfortably the best US presidential couple in the White House since WW II, possibly ever.

While I'm no great fan of Obama(a little bit too centre right for me), I still agree entirely with your post, I often say he is the best potus since Kennedy, but I think he was even better than Kennedy in many ways.

 

It's an interesting question which potus was better than Obama and why?

A crude troll post has been removed as well as the reply. 

2 hours ago, i claudius said:

Oh i just read the article its cos they is black. I hate PC why not just pick a good artist.no matter if their black white or orange with red stripes?

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Is that what the article said? I can only imagine what kind of foul stuff you manage to find on the internet.

Is that what the article said? I can only imagine what kind of foul stuff you manage to find on the internet.

Oh please go away you always try to make me out a racist .it said they were the first black artists to be chosen .now go away

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10 hours ago, Gecko123 said:

Obama's portrait is starting to grow on me. Can't really appreciate it from just a photograph, but the brush work on the hands and face looks exquisite. The floral backdrop initially startled me, but began to make sense when you see the flowers enveloping the chair and his legs: of the people, of the world, of nature, an awareness of one's place in the universe, awareness of one's mortality, and a determination to do the most good for the most people in the limited amount of time we have on this planet. In short, a reflection of his values as President.

But Trump is tweeting " See I told you he was born in the jungle"

 

A pleasure to see an articulate , good natured intelligent president, having said that and as much as I love the Obamas I must say I was not very impressed with the portraits.

Perhaps it is my Philistine blood but If I was shown Mishel's portrait before I knew it was hers I would not have being able to identify it. And as far as Barak's portrait to my old crotchety self looks like he was photoshopped in a background downloaded from the internet. 

 

How in God's green earth could ANYONE consider this woman to be hot!
She's one molecule away from being aunt Jemima.

Edited February 13, 20188 yr by hstew
myofb

7 hours ago, i claudius said:

Oh i just read the article its cos they is black. I hate PC why not just pick a good artist.no matter if their black white or orange with red stripes?

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Pick a good artist .. no matter if their black white or orange with red stripes?
 

Pablo Picasso - Portrait of a woman  (1936)

Edited February 13, 20188 yr by Opl

18 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

It looks like an art school project. What did he grow out of a tree with a chair stuck to his butt? 

A lame painting for a lame president is fitting I guess. The Michelle portrait is definitely better although an uncomfortable looking pose.

Thanks for providing the redneck review.

33 minutes ago, pegman said:

Thanks for providing the redneck review.

Entirely predictable and even if they had gone with conventional portraits, we'd have the same kind of put downs. 

Edited February 13, 20188 yr by Jingthing