The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Obamas unveil official White House portraits
Bidens host event after Trump broke recent tradition.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle returned to the White House on Wednesday for the unveiling of official portraits with a modern vibe: him standing expressionless against a white background and her seated on a sofa in the Red Room wearing a formal light blue dress.
“Barack and Michelle, welcome home,” President Joe Biden said before he invited the Obamas to the stage to unveil the portraits. Some in the audience gasped, others applauded.
“It’s great to be back,” Obama said when it was his turn to speak. He praised Biden — his vice president — as someone who became a “true partner and a true friend.”
The artist whom Barack Obama selected to paint his portrait says the “stripped down” style of his works helps create an “encounter” between the person in the painting and the person looking at it.
Robert Mccurdy likes to present his subjects without any facial expression and standing against a white background, which is how America’s 44th and first Black president will be seen here for posterity, in a black suit and gray tie.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden invited Obama and the former first lady back to their former home to unveil their official portraits. It was Mrs. Obama’s first visit since her husband’s presidency ended in January 2017. Obama himself visited in April to help celebrate the anniversary of the major health care law he signed.
The former first lady chose artist Sharon Sprung for her portrait.
The portraits do not look like any others in the collection to which they will be added, in terms of style and substance.
Mccurdy told the White House Historical Association for the latest edition of its “1600 Sessions” podcast that his style is “stripped down for a reason.” He’s also done portraits of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and the Dalai Lama, among others.
“They have plain white backgrounds, nobody gestures, nobody — there are no props because we’re not here to tell the story of the person that’s sitting for them,” Mccurdy said. “We’re here to create an encounter between the viewer and the sitter.”
He compared the technique to a session with a psychiatrist in which the patient and doctor tell each other as little as possible about themselves “so that you can project onto them.”
“And we’re doing the same thing with these paintings,” Mccurdy said. “We’re telling as little about the sitter as possible so that the viewer can project onto them.”
Mccurdy works from a photograph of his subjects, selected from hundreds of images.
Recent tradition, no matter political affiliation, has had the current president genially hosting his immediate predecessor for the unveiling.
Donald Trump, who criticized almost everything about Obama and deviated from many presidential traditions, held no ceremony for Obama. So Biden, who was Obama’s vice president, scheduled one for his former boss.
Obama’s portrait is destined for display in the Grand Foyer of the White House, the traditional showcase for paintings of the two most recent presidents. Bill Clinton’s and George W. Bush’s portraits hang there.
Mrs. Obama’s portrait likely will be placed with her predecessors along the hallway on the Ground Floor of the White House, joining Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.
seventh-place team for the final playoff spot with five games remaining.
Martinez leads the team in goals with eight. He’s also the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, with 110 goals in all competitions. However, Martinez has fallen out of favor as a starter under Pineda. Martinez has come off the bench in the past four games and five of the past six games. He has scored a goal in two of the past three games, both coming off the bench. He scored in the 88th minute in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Portland and in the 62nd minute in a 3-2 win over D.C. United on Aug. 28.
Martinez has had a complicated relationship with most of Atlanta United’s managers. He was forced to train by himself by manager Gabriel Heinze, who soon was fired because of the team’s poor results. Earlier this season, Martinez called out teammates and members of the front office after a 3-0 loss to Austin.
In his six seasons with Atlanta United, Martinez has appeared in 130 games, including 11 starts, and has a franchise-best 97 goals. He was named MLS MVP in 2018.
Martinez’s suspension likely means that Ronaldo Cisneros, on loan from Chivas, will continue to start at striker. He ranks second on the team with seven goals.
Martinez has one year remaining on his contract, with the team holding an option for the 2024 season. Martinez has said he doesn’t yet know if this will be his last year with the club. Martinez repeatedly has said he loves Atlanta and wants to stay with the club for as long as it wants him.