Former United States President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (both center) pose next to their portraits at their unveiling at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., in 2018. Barack’s portrait was painted by Kehinde Wiley (far left). Michelle’s was painted by Amy Sherald (far right).
Credit: © Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images

February is Black History Month, an annual observance of the achievements and culture of Black Americans. This month, Behind the Headlines will feature Black pioneers in a variety of areas. 

Until recently, tracksuits, flatbill hats, jeans, Nike T-shirts, and puffer jackets did not appear in many portraits in museums. Now in the National Portrait Gallery and galleries across the world, American painter Kehinde Wiley has livened up modern-day portraits. Wiley is known for his large, highly detailed, brightly colored portraits. His style has been called urban Baroque, a reference to the Baroque art movement of the 1500′s and 1600′s. Baroque art is large in scale and filled with dramatic details.

In 2017, Wiley was selected to paint the presidential portrait of former United States President Barack Obama. Wiley became the first Black American artist to paint an official presidential portrait. Wiley’s portrait of Obama was unveiled in 2018. It hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Wiley was born on Feb. 28, 1977, in Los Angeles, California. He was interested in painting from a young age. Wiley received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2001.

Wiley served as artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem in New York City from 2001 to 2002. It was in Harlem that Wiley developed his unique approach to portraiture. He approached strangers on the street, asking them to pose for him. He photographed the subjects in their street clothes and then painted them in a classical European style. He called this process “street casting.” Wiley continued this process in such places as Morocco, Haiti, and India. Wiley’s signature background depicts flowers and foliage or abstract shapes. The bright, detailed backgrounds are reminiscent of the Baroque style.

Former United States President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama (both center) pose next to their portraits at their unveiling at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., in 2018. Barack’s portrait was painted by Kehinde Wiley (far left). Michelle’s was painted by Amy Sherald (far right).
Credit: © Saul Loeb, AFP/Getty Images

Today, World Book celebrates two African American artists who gained wider fame when they were chosen to paint official portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Kehinde Wiley painted the portrait of Barack Obama. Amy Sherald painted the portrait of Michelle. Both portraits now hang in the Smithsonian Institution‘s National Portrait Gallery.

Credit: President Barack Obama (2018); oil on canvas by Kehinde Wiley; National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (© Kehinde Wiley)

Kehinde Wiley is known for his large, brightly colored portraits. His style has been called urban Baroque, a reference to the Baroque art movement of the 1500’s and 1600’s. Baroque art is large in scale and filled with dramatic details. Wiley became the first African American artist to paint an official presidential portrait.

Wiley served as artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem in New York City from 2001 to 2002. It was in Harlem that Wiley developed his unique approach to portraiture. He approached strangers on the street, asking them to pose for him. He photographed the subjects in their street clothes and then painted them in a classical European style. Wiley continued this process in such places as Morocco, Haiti, and India. Wiley’s signature background depicts flowers and foliage or abstract shapes. The bright, detailed backgrounds are reminiscent of the Baroque style.

Credit: First Lady Michelle Obama (2018), oil on linen by Amy Sherald; National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (© Amy Sherald)

Amy Sherald is also known for her paintings of African Americans, particularly for her use of grayscale in these paintings. Grayscale images consist exclusively of shades of gray. Sherald’s use of grayscale undercuts traditional notions about skin tone. Her paintings also feature bright accent colors and graphic patterns.

Sherald began specializing in painting African Americans during her graduate studies at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She believed that African American subjects had been underrepresented in the art world. In 2016, Sherald won first prize in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition.