Barack's portrait was drawn by Kehinde Wiley, a New York-based painter known for his depiction of African-Americans posed in heroic settings. Michelle's was done by Baltimore-based artist Amy Sherald, whose works underscore social justice themes.
The Obamas' portraits mark the first time African-American artists were commissioned to complete the presidential works, according to reports.
— David Mack (@davidmackau) February 12, 2018
Wiley's painting shows the former president sitting on a wooden chair with his arms crossed in front of a backdrop of green foliage filled in with colorful flowers to represent different aspects of Obama's life. Chrysanthemums, as the official flower of Chicago, represent where the 56-year-old began his political career; the jasmine flower stands in for his childhood home in Hawaii; African blue lilies represent his late father, who was from Kenya, The Hill reported.
"I tried to negotiate less gray hair and Kehinde's artistic integrity would not allow him to do what I asked," Barack joked with the audience. "I tried to negotiate smaller ears — struck out on that as well."
As for Michelle, she said she was "overwhelmed" when she first saw Sherald's painting, which depicted the former first lady in a seated position staring directly at the viewer.
When thanking Sherald for her work, the Harvard alum talked about the impact that the painting will have on "girls and girls of color."
"In years ahead [they] will come to this place and they will look up, and they will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall of this great American institution," the former first lady said. "And I know what kind of impact that will have on their lives because I was one of those girls."
Barack later commented on Michelle's portrait by telling Sherald that she managed to capture the "grace, beauty, intelligence, charm and hotness of the woman that I love."
But while the Obamas were thrilled with the works, art experts on social media weren't exactly on the same page. In fact, some said Michelle's portrait looks nothing like her; others noted that Barack's brought back memories of Homer Simpson and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer hiding in bushes.
— Colleen Wordock (@cwordock) February 12, 2018
— Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) February 12, 2018
— Ken Cavanaugh (@cavanaughphoto) February 12, 2018
— Courtney Lynn (@CourtneyLyn4128) February 12, 2018
— Tim Masterson (@TimJMasterson) February 12, 2018
— David DeLuz (@daviddeluz) February 12, 2018
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) February 12, 2018
The portraits will both be made available to the public on Tuesday.
