![]() It could also have been done for a very specific purpose. The face does not resemble Michelle Obama’s in the same manner that Wiley painted the President, but this is in line with Sherald’s previous work as well. Her paintings, while stylized and colorful, feature gray skin tones and these are used so the artist can “subversively comment about race without feeling as though excluding the viewer.” It’s this portrait that much of the criticism seems to revolve around, however when you look this portrait in the context of Sherald’s previous, it fits perfectly. Not only is she considered a rising star, but she was the first woman to win the Outwin Boochever Portrait competition, and was awarded the High Museum of Art’s David Driskell Prize. Stuart set out to portray the President as a prudent and wise leader, and in this he succeeded.Īmy Sherald, is an artist out of Baltimore who is known for painting life-size portraits of African-Americans. The painting delivers a certain image, one that almost contradicts the hot temper that Washington was known to have. Two Doric columns can be seen in the back-which are often associated with strength and masculinity- and the table leg resembles a Roman fasces, which is a symbol of power and authority. In this example, Washington is seen full-length and presented in a dignified and serious manner. While a majority of the presidential portraits are painted in a classical European style, they are often filled with symbolism. There are also multiple replicas painted by Stuart as well as other artists over the years. ![]() This was not the first portrait the artist painted of Washington, however, it’s one of the most famous and is on permanent display at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution. The first and most iconic of these portraits is the Lansdowne Portrait of George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1796.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |