Le message politique du portrait de Michelle Obama

Depuis le dévoilement des portraits des époux Obama les commentaires pleuvent. Qu'on apprécie ou pas, le choix de deux artistes afro-américains engagés constitue un symbole fort pour le premier président noir. Cet article de POLITICO se concentre sur le portrait de Michelle Obama, particulièrement sur sa robe. L'artiste Amy Sherald y représente ce qu'elle considère être le coeur des convictions de la Première Dame.

 "The colorful pattern speaks to the uniquely Obama-esque blend of patriotism and activism, tradition and modernity. Quilting is the essence of Americana; specifically, the pattern evokes the strikingly modernist quilts created by the isolated African-American community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, beginning in the late nineteenth century. Created from recycled scraps of fabric, often in unheated shacks with no running water or electricity, the quilts are notable for their abstract, asymmetrical compositions, in stark contrast with the geometric regularity of traditional American quilts. Since being rediscovered in the 1960s, Gee’s Bend quilts have been exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

The choice of designer, though, might be the most striking political statement ever to be found lurking in the details of a presidential or first lady portrait. Though Milly is not one of the labels Obama launched to national prominence—founded in 2000, it was already well established when President Obama was elected in 2008—Obama wore Milly several times during her tenure in the White House. She chose a cropped white Milly sailor blazer to promote her “Drink Up” initiative in July 2014 in Washington, D.C. Smith was among the designers invited to participated in the fashion education workshop for young people Obama hosted at the White House in October of that year. Obama sported a pair of printed gray Milly pants for a September 2016 appearance at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. And she wore a black, off-the-shoulder Milly top when she posed for the October 2016 cover of Essence with her husband. Her fondness for Milly is consistent with Obama’s steadfast support of American designers, pointedly including designers of color and affordable labels like J. Crew, ASOS and Gap. A similar Milly halter dress will set you back just $400 in better department stores.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/13/michelle-obama-portrait-message-dress-216971