How do you paint a picture of American life and people? This question is which artist Amy Sherald seeks to answer with his large-scale, striking and colorful portraits of everyday black individuals.
Of course, hearing the name Amy Sherald, one immediately thinks of her most famous subjects that define America’s best and worst – the historic portrayal of the royal but approachable former first lady Michelle Obama and the portrayal arrest of young medical worker Breonna Taylor, who was murdered in her home by police officers. Both images have become cultural beacons, and crowds of visitors have traveled to museums across the country to stand in the presence of the strong black women that Sherald represents.
In the first episode of the brand new season of Art21’s flagship series Art in the 21st centuryviewers access enter the workshop with the artist, who discusses the influences that influence her portraits and how she paints the world she wants to see.
“I consider myself an American realist,” Sherald said in the exclusive interview. “For me, that means first acknowledging my Americanness and wanting the work to join a bigger ongoing conversation.”
When the Obamas chose her alongside artist Kehinde Wiley to paint the presidential portraits – the first two black artists commissioned to do so – Sherald immediately rose to fame, but her practice has not changed and remains deeply rooted in his individual experience.
Production from the Season 11 episode of “Art in the 21st Century”, “Everyday Icons”, 2023. © Art21, Inc. 2023.
The artist recalls one of her earliest memories of visiting an art museum, where she saw a painting by Bo Bartlett of a black man standing in front of a house. “I was shocked,” she recalled, noting that she had never seen anyone who looked like her in such a setting. At that point, “I realized that I wanted to do paintings like that. I was able to see my future in that moment,” she explained.
In the video, the artist is seen at work on a series of paintings based on famous American photographs, including Alfred Eisenstaedt’s seminal 1945 shot of a sailor kissing a stranger on VJ Day in Times Square, reimagining them in a contemporary way. In his version of the classic image, two men are caught in a passionate embrace.
“When I think about who is going to be portrayed in my work,” Sherald said, “I think it speaks to the moment.”
Watch the video, which originally appeared as part of Art21’s series “Art in the 21st Century” below.
This is an episode of “Art on Video”, a collaboration between Artnet News and Art21 that brings you clips from artists who are making the news. Watch all episodes of other series, like New York close up And Extended gameand learn about the organization’s educational programs at Art21.org.
