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| Rob & Tom in front of Pres. Obama's portrait |
This is part 2 of our visit to the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery to see some
amazing paintings on display there. The two portraits that we went specifically to see were President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It was a thrill to see them.
On Feb. 12, 2018, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery unveiled its commissioned
portraits of former President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama by
artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively. It took us a YEAR to get there to see them, and they were worth the wait.
The portraits are in TWO different places in the museum. Former President Barack Obama's portrait can be seen in the America's Presidents gallery on the museum's second floor. Former First Lady Michelle Obama's portrait is featured in the 20th Century Americans gallery on the museum's first floor.
ABOUT THE ARTIST AND PAINTING OF PRESIDENT OBAMA -Artist Kehinde Wiley is known for his vibrant, large-scale paintings
of African Americans posing as famous figures from the history of
Western art. This portrait does not include an underlying art historical
reference, but some of the flowers in the background carry special
meaning for Obama. The chrysanthemums, for example, reference the
official flower of Chicago. The jasmine evokes Hawaii, where he spent
the majority of his childhood, and the African blue lilies stand in for
his late Kenyan father.
Kehinde Wiley (born 1977)/ Oil on canvas, 2018
ABOUT THE ARTIST AND PAINTING OF MRS. OBAMA -
Mrs. Obama selected Amy Sherald, winner of the 2016 Outwin Boochever
Portrait Competition, to create her official portrait for the museum.
The Baltimore-based artist considers the former first lady to be someone
“women can relate to—no matter what shape, size, race, or color. . . .
We see our best selves in her.” Here, she portrays Mrs. Obama as both
confident and approachable, in a dress by Michelle Smith’s label Milly.
Amy Sherald (born 1973) / Oil on linen, 2018
NEXT: Part 3: 2 Portraits of Presidents from Massachusetts
Recently we visited the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery to see some amazing paintings on display there. Two of them that really caught our attention were "The
Four Justices" and "Christopher Reeve" (Superman in the 1970s and 80s films). This is part one of the blog
about portraits we saw, and you'll not only see our pictures of them but
learn about them.
WHERE IS THE GALLERY? National Portrait Gallery is located on 8th and F Streets NW, in Washington, DC 20001
WEBSITE: https://npg.si.edu/home/national-portrait-gallery
We loved this painting of the four female Supreme Court justices!
THE FOUR JUSTICES - The Four Justices by Nelson Shanks, oil on canvas, 2012. / Lent by Ian
and Annette Cumming Collection © Nelson Shanks / Clockwise from bottom
right: Ruth Bader Ginsburg,/ Sandra Day O’Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, and
Elena Kagan
As a Superman fan, and someone who admired the courage Chris Reeve showed after his accident, I was thrilled to find this portrait:
CHRISTOPHER REEVE -Exhibition Label (1952-2004)
Perhaps best
known for his role as Superman, actor Christopher Reeve went on to
become a powerful voice for people living with disabilities after a 1995
equestrian accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Reeve lived
his life according to his own definition of a hero—“an ordinary
individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of
overwhelming obstacles.” His advocacy efforts led to the passage of the
1999 Work Incentives Improvement Act, allowing people with disabilities
to return to work and still receive disability benefits. He also served
as chairman of the board of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation,
which supports research to develop effective treatments and cures for
paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other central nervous system
disorders. - Artist: Sacha Newley, born 1965
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| Christopher Reeve as Superman in 1970s & 80s |
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Who I am
I'm a simple guy who enjoys the simple things in life, especially our dogs. I volunteer for dog rescues, enjoy exercising, blogging, politics, helping friends and neighbors, participating in ghost investigations, coffee, weather, superheroes, comic books, mystery novels, traveling, 70s and 80s music, classic country music,writing books on ghosts and spirits, cooking simply and keeping in shape. You'll find tidbits of all of these things on this blog and more. EMAIL me at Rgutro@gmail.com - Rob
A Classic Country Music Station to Enjoy
The portraits are in TWO different places in the museum. Former President Barack Obama's portrait can be seen in the America's Presidents gallery on the museum's second floor. Former First Lady Michelle Obama's portrait is featured in the 20th Century Americans gallery on the museum's first floor.
ABOUT THE ARTIST AND PAINTING OF MRS. OBAMA - 
