AphroChic Magazine: Issue No. 8

HOT TOPIC
have portraits with such a background. But
that’s only the beginning of the meaning
layered in each of these images. True to
form, both Wiley and Sherald found ways to
place the first Black President and First Lady
in direct conversation with the meta-narratives
that surrounded them as Black people
in American popular culture even while
occupying the nation’s highest office.
In his image, Barack Obama is a Black
man — an African — in nature. For much of
early African American history, the image of
the African in nature was often used to dehumanize,
depicting us as little more than
primates, incapable of the levels of civilization
evinced by those who enslaved us
and grateful for having been brought into
modernity. Yet in this image, Barack Obama,
Black and President of the the United States,
is surrounded by nature, but wrapped in the
symbols of “civilization.” His suit, his watch,
the chair he’s sitting on, and even wedding
ring all mark him as a sophisticated man of
the modern age, a stark contrast to those
early images. Even the intelligent gaze and
inviting demeanor depicted in the image
go against common tropes of Black men as
predatory and dangerous.
Similarly, Michelle Obama’s portrait
can be seen speaking to those tropes of
common knowledge usually directed at
Black women. The soft lines of the portrait
depict a Black woman who is beautiful,
soft, strong, sophisticated and feminine —
a conspicuous absence in many museums
and collections outside of those shows and
events specifically devoted to such representations.
In its presentment of Mrs.
Obama, the painting takes away many of the
usual points of attack for African American
women. Her skin tone is more gray than
brown. Her body, hidden beneath the
flowing expanse of the dress is removed
as a potential focus of attention. And to a
society that’s expectation of “free access”
to Black women — from their mannerisms
and their hair to their joy and their “magic,”
— is the subject of long and ongoing debate,
Michelle’s posture of quiet reserve speaks
volumes.
Remember the Time
We’ve come a long way in our fight in
this country, and we’ve got a long way left to
go. When we stop to count our wins, we win
again and we get more of what we need to
push a little bit further. To have had Barack
and Michelle Obama leading this nation and
some of its most important discourses was
undoubtedly one of our biggest wins to date.
Sandwiched between the tenures of George
W. Bush and Donald Trump, the Obama
Presidency was 8 years of relative calm and
progressive thought built around reason,
compromise and most of all, hope.
And as we work to recover some sense
of that state amid the tumult of everything
that’s followed since the Obamas left the
White House, seeing these portraits is more
than a great excuse to go to a museum — it’s a
chance to remember that feeling again and a
chance to inspire something new, not just for
us but for the next generation. As Michelle
Obama said herself, “One visit, one performance,
one touch, and who knows how you
could spark a child’s imagination.” AC
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