President Barack Obama - Kehinde Weily (2018)
Size: 84 x 58 inches
Medium - Oil on Canvas
In the grand 7-by-5-ft. painting, unveiled
in a ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery on
Feb. 12, Obama, is seated in an ornate brown chair, which combines 18th century
and turn of the 20th century motifs, it is a great way of
setting up the president, who combines in himself, very different cultures and
worlds, according to Kehinde Weily. His arms folded neatly across his lap. He is
serious and poses conventionally. Bright green vines illuminate the background;
buds of lilies, chrysanthemums and jasmine are peppered throughout. They each
represent important moments of his life. The African blue lilies represent
Obama's father's home in Kenya, Chrysanthemums are the flowers of the city of
Chicago, where Obama met Michelle and started both his family and political
career. The Arabian jasmine is a flower which thrives in Hawaii, where the
President spent much of his youth.
There is a fight between him and the plants
in the foreground as to who gets to be the star of the show. Barack Obama made
history in 2009 by becoming the first African American president. Obama's skin is glowing as if lit from within, he
sits calmly, as he appears to lean towards the audience, his collar unbuttoned
which projects a great level of openness which was not seen in other portraits.
He also gazes directly connecting with the viewer. The artist portrays the
values of the president through this painting. His portrait is life size, which
enhances sense that you, the audience is connecting with the painting. The
creator of this masterpiece is Kehinde Weily, he is known for his
vibrant, large-scale paintings of African Americans posing as famous figures
from the history of Western art.
Manesha Peiris (2022)
