Have You Seen Michelle Obama's Dress?

Michelle Obama's portrait was recently unveiled at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. While that in itself may not be that extraordinary, the dress she is wearing in the portrait is...it looks very much like a modern quilt.

Click here to see the actual dress.

Click here for an interview with the artist on NPR. She mentions quilts in African culture as well as Gees Bend.

Note: The video is very quiet at the beginning. Wait for the unveiling for it to get louder.

Comments

#20 babawawa 2018-02-19 16:51

When people commission or create and publicly display works of art they are inviting reactions, responses, interpretations of their work. These portraits are exciting for what they say about our times, their subjects, the artists, art and specifically portraiture in the 21st century. I can only imagine how disappointed the Smithsonian, and all the participants--a rtists and subjects included--would have been if the unveiling had resulted in deafening, nonresponsive silence! Thank goodness for this blog which brings us so much content, often above and beyond our quilting perspectives, and a forum in which to share our thoughts with other quilters!

#19 Anna A. Flores 2018-02-16 21:57

All that matters is that Mrs. Obama choose the artists involved in the making of the painting and the dress.
How Mrs. Obama's face and dress look in the painting were her choices, besides Mrs. Obama and President Obama are satisfied with the results, why be so critical? "Art Critics" you did not have a portrait painted and if you were, your painting is not hanging in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery!

#18 babawawa 2018-02-16 08:25

Commentators and art critics have noted that the former First Lady's portrait looked more like her daughter, Sasha. Artist Amy Sherald, said she was trying to project an almost generic woman of color, in keeping with Mrs. Obama's hope that young girls and women could see themselves in the picture and know their aspirations are achievable in our country. There has been so much written about the art and politics of both portraits. Some of the comments have been informative and educational. Some have been vile. And some have been just plain catty! I admire Mrs. Obama's wish to inspire the next generation and the artistry Ms. Sherald brought to the project. But I hope another artist will someday create a portrait that reflects Michelle Obama's unique qualities of warmth, humor, intelligence, and strength in the way that Kehinde Wiley captured President Obama. All the comments in the media and on this blog certainly prove that "Everybody's a critic," though not everybody is an artist.

#17 Lisa Bourgeault 2018-02-15 11:47

I'm not 100% in love with the portrait, but it is very interesting and I definitely see a resemblance to Michelle Obama, although I think the portrait doesn't quite capture the elegance and approachability with which she carries herself. The President and First Lady get to choose who does their portraits, so it is fun to see their own artistic tastes revealed. The dress is spectacular, and to the person who commented that it looked better on the model in the runway show, of course it did--the model had been starving herself for weeks (or years) and had lots of makeup on and was moving, so the dress was flowing. I hope none of us hold ourselves to the standard of looking as good as a model would in the same clothes. Why would anyone viewing this portrait on the quilt show blog find this to be a good time to criticize Michelle Obama and her appearance?

#16 R 2018-02-15 09:59

I don't care for either portrait. They're both strange.

#15 Liz 2018-02-15 06:15

but it doesn't look like her

#14 Melanie 2018-02-14 18:46

The picture is beautiful and unique but does not bear resemblance to the true beauty that is Michelle.

#13 Vada 2018-02-14 17:23

I think the painting is beautiful and the dress is lovely. I'd like to have one like it.

#12 martha1 2018-02-14 16:58

This is not Michelle Obama, she wished that she looked like that, plus that is not the face of a black woman at all, the dress is is as unattractive as all MO dresses.

#11 Jill Thomas 2018-02-14 15:55

I think the portrait is very disappointing. It doesn’t resemble her, nor does it capture her spirit.

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