Well this is embarrassing.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s official portrait was just unveiled and it looks…well…you be the judge:
.@MichelleObama says she is thinking of the girls who years from now will visit the national portrait gallery @NPG and see someone on the wall who looks like them #NPG pic.twitter.com/pRabLQ2xTM
— Michele Norris (@michele_norris) February 12, 2018
Here is a closer look at the portrait:
Official @MichelleObama portrait by Amy Sheralt. Incandescent #NPG pic.twitter.com/cRcRXop6yd
— Michele Norris (@michele_norris) February 12, 2018
Michelle gave some brief remarks about the piece:
Michelle Obama at her portrait unveiling: “I am humbled, I am honored, I’m proud. But most of all I am so incredibly grateful to all the people who came before me in this journey” https://t.co/91XWHkpn61 https://t.co/jyhdpVhRJK
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 12, 2018
Well, that’s certainly a nice sentiment. But the actual portrait, on the other hand, looks nothing like Michelle. At all. That makes it almost a wasted effort.
I’m not the only one to notice this discrepancy, either. Folks on Twitter were dumbfounded by the portrait:
This is a beautiful portrait. It looks very little like Michelle Obama pic.twitter.com/1CsRrWIJtN
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) February 12, 2018
I don’t think Michelle Obama’s official portrait actually looks like her
— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 12, 2018
Michelle Obama’s portrait was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery…
Aaaaand it looks nothing like her. pic.twitter.com/EQitllF47w— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) February 12, 2018
It’s hard to understand how the artist could have gotten Michelle’s features all wrong. It’s not like she’s an unattractive woman – She has plenty of beautiful features that could have been highlighted. Instead, we’re gifted with a mysterious woman that’s now a stand in for the previous First Lady. How strange.
Then again, as someone pointed out, it fits the profile of the artist’s previous works:
People snarking on the Michelle Obama portrait should really take 2 minutes to see it in the context of Amy Sherald’s other portraits. pic.twitter.com/CbDYTFey4V
— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 12, 2018
What do you think of Michelle Obama’s new portrait? Tell us your thoughts below and share this story on Facebook now!
