Barack and Michelle Obama return to the White House to reveal their official portraits

Amid cheers, jokes and sweet nostalgia, former US President Barack Obama (2009-2017) and former First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled their official portraits at the White House on Wednesday, which they hope will inspire new generations. More than five years after handing over to Donald Trump, the Obamas reappeared at the presidential mansion to vindicate democracy, the power of traditions and their legacy as the first and only African-American presidential couple to have governed the United States.”Barack and Michelle, welcome home,” US President Joe Biden told them at the beginning of the ceremony, describing his former partner as one of the most upright people he has ever met and whose belief in change gave America hope. it was his turn to speak, Obama returned the compliments to his former vice president for being a “true ally and a true friend.” “Someone once said that if you’re looking for a friend in Washington, you better get a dog. My family was lucky enough to have two wonderful dogs,” Obama joked, referring to his two pets, Bo and Sunny, to, in Next, explain that Biden was one of his biggest supporters in the eight years he was in power. Ceremonies in which presidents unveil their official portraits, which have hung for centuries in the corridors of the White House, are often an opportunity to show off their humor and even laugh at themselves. that his wife later described as “saucy statements”. Among other things, he joked about how much he misses the presidential plane Air Force One and how surprised he has been to see some of his former advisers, very young years old and now in positions of responsibility, which explains “some of those gray hairs,” Obama said with a laugh. that no one has called their son Barack or Michelle. Although there is still time. “With all the gray hairs The former president also made jokes about his portrait, painted by Robert McCurdy, an artist known I was inspired by his realistic paintings that almost look like photographs.”What I like about Robert’s work is that he paints people exactly as they are, whether for better or worse. It captures all the wrinkles on your face, the folds on your shirt, and as you can see he didn’t want to hide any of my gray hair and refused my request to make my ears look smaller,” Obama laughed. The portrait shows him on a white background dressed in a black suit, a gray tie, and his hands in his pockets. With a more serious tone, Obama expressed his hope that these portraits serve to remind the American people that presidents and first ladies “are also human beings” who they have good days and bad days and that sometimes they lose sleep at night wondering if they did the right thing. “When the new generations walk through these corridors and see these portraits, I hope they can have a more honest idea of ​​​​who we were Michelle and me. And I hope they understand that if we could get here, then maybe they can too. They can also do incredible things,” he promised. The color of the jewels In contrast to the sober portrait of Obama, the painting of his wife shows the red and blue colors of the jewels, a differential characteristic of its author, Sharon Sprung, who manipulated The layers of paint seek to reflect the complexity of real life in her works. In the portrait, the former first lady appears in a light blue ball gown and sitting on a red sofa with a pink wall. Recalling her humble origins, Michelle Obama She acknowledged that she still finds it “a bit strange” to be in the White House and, full of emotion, explained that this Wednesday’s ceremony for her meant not only a return to nostalgia and what happened, but also the possibilities that the future opens “A girl like me was never supposed to be able to be there next to Jacqueline Kennedy and Dolley Madison. I should never have been able to live in this house and I should never have been able to be first lady,” reflected Michelle Obama, who spoke of the need to create a future that “includes all Americans.” In her speech, the former first lady also recognized the power of the symbols and traditions that serve to maintain American democracy, including the peaceful transfer of power. For decades it was a tradition in the United States that, in their first term, the country’s presidents welcomed their immediate predecessor into the White House to unveil his official portrait in the mansion. However, the tradition was broken during the term of Trump, who was very critical of Obama and who did not hold a ceremony of this type during the time he was a tenant of the White House.