The Obama Portraits: But Is It Art?

American Thinker ^ | February 17, 2018 | Tim Mostert

[mairdie]

The official portrait is part of an old tradition perfected by Renaissance painters more than 500 years ago. The artists were generally painting powerful old men, who tended to be a bit ugly. To make up for what lacked in the sitter's physical beauty, the artist would emphasize the internal. A great painting of a king or pope tells you something about the subject's inner thoughts, his psyche. The image is more about what's going on inside his head rather than the outer trappings of his position or status.

...

The Obama portraits are kind of shocking - not only because the paintings are so cliched and amateurish, but because Barack and Michelle would choose artists primarily by virtue of their skin color and radical views instead of whether they could actually pull off an official portrait. With no budget limitations, you choose these two? These substandard paintings will hang in the National Gallery for all time. I assume that the Obamas wanted to prove a point. With the Obamas, everything comes down to race and retribution, and here was one last chance to rub someone's nose in something.

The Obama portraits are a sad reflection on how bad a choice someone can make when given the opportunity to do something great.

[mairdie]

An excellent article from an art historian's point of view. Makes me want to do a video on portraiture (not including theirs!).

Right click View Image for larger images:

Music Video of Toulouse-Lautrec Paintings (roughly chronological)

Music Video of Van Gogh Paintings (roughly chronological)

[mairdie]

PING

[txrefugee]

Barack comes off as superficial, the plants having more personality than he has. Michele’s is more interesting. She looks like a man in a dress.

[Da Coyote]

For me, the really sad part of this is that there are many black artists who have real talent and who now have to live in the light of that set of mediocre (at best) paintings. Paintings that reflect the mediocrity of Dorkbama the Muslim eunuch quota boy, but can be interpreted by some to reflect on the entire race.

[Spok]

The only way to make Michelle look good is to make her look like someone else.

[captain_dave]

Obama potraits are paint-by-numbers masterpieces. They’re like the look alike YSL logo bags with stylized XZF logos. Pretentious Obvious Fakes

[relictele]

The Obama portraits are kind of shocking - not only because the paintings are so cliched and amateurish, but because Barack and Michelle would choose artists primarily by virtue of their skin color and radical views

Kind of shocking? Has the author been hiding in a cave for the last 10 years?

The Obamas have had one aim from the start: angrily sticking a thumb in the eye of America and its culture, such as it is.

[COUNTrecount]

[mairdie]

FTA:

My art school was literally connected to a world-class museum, and many of my classes were actually taught in the picture galleries, where we could discuss artistic theory in front of famous masterpieces. Masterpieces have a tendency to shut you up, especially when you think you know a thing or two. You can’t do much more than just inhale the genius around an old master painting. You’re confronted with the reality that what you’re looking at is far beyond your talents and abilities. The best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut and try to learn something.

[Fresh Wind]

Well, if a drop cloth covered with paint dribbles and splatters is considered art, then the Obama portraits certainly are as well.

[FrankR]

[MayflowerMadam]

“Right click View Image for larger images”

I think I’ll pass; these small images already are way too big.

[knarf]

Compared to EVERY ONE else .... these two were done by R. Crumb ... (with sincere apologies to R. Crumb)

[Liz]

Nice art review.....LOL.

[Nifster]

I think the portraits accurately reflect two of the biggest empty suits that managed to come close to destroying America

[mairdie]

What about the portrait of Pope Innocent X? THAT was no empty suit!

[robel]

Art is a reflection of reality. So, yeah, they’re pretty accurate. Painful to look at, but accurate.

[BenLurkin]

[Liz]

The Obama portraits are so cliched and amateurish, done by so-called artists chosen b/c of their skin color and radical views.

The anti-American Obamas end as they began.....angrily sticking a thumb in the eye of Americans, still chipping away at the culture they degraded.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Now, THAT is perfect on SO many levels!