Barack Obama

The portrait of Barack Obama is personally my favorite.  Mr. Obama chose Kehinde Wiley as the artist for his portrait.  Wiley painted the former president leaning forward, frowning, with his hands on his knees.  There is no smile on his face and he looks as though he is still dealing with the issues that the U.S. faces.  Wiley then added the personal elements to the photo.  The greenery sprout flowers  have symbolic meaning for the sitter, the African blue lilies represent Kenya where Obama's father was born. The jasmine stands for Hawaii, where Obama was born; chrysanthemums, the official flower of Chicago, stand for the city where his political career began, and where he met his wife.  I loved how the artist was able to include all these personal details and still made the painting amazing!