Discussion 5.4
AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEOS & READING THE ARTICLES PRECEDING THIS EXERCISE, HOW ARE KEHINDE WILEY AND AMY SHERALD CHALLENGING AND CHANGING BOTH CLASSICAL AND MODERN ART TRADITIONS?
SPECIFICALLY….
- In what way are both artists consciously engaging with and reworking Classical AND Modern Western visual art traditions, and portraiture in particular?
- In addition to larger Western art traditions, how are Wiley and Sherald rethinking traditions and conventions in how American presidents “should” be represented?
- Can you relate or draw any further connections between what you’ve learned in the class this semester and this discussion of Wiley and Sherald’s portraits of the Obamas?
Kehinde Wiley, President Barack Obama (2018, American Contemporary, oil on canvas)
Amy Sherald, First Lady Michelle Obama (2018, American Contemporary, oil on canvas)
Click HERE (Links to an external site.) to zoom in
https://www.artsy.net/article/
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/
these may help you for this discussion.
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Abstract
A presidential portrait is a fruitful event for metaphor. There has been a fine line between classical portraits and modern portrait. These official portraits of Barrack Obama and Michelle Obama have spread through the social media bringing reactions (Murray, 2017). Usually, the responses to extraordinary paintings are usually are freight with feelings and historical significance. In this text, we will discuss the themes that cut across Willey and Sherald portraits’ and their meanings on historical significance.
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