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Friday, October 23, 2009

Visual Art Leibovitz's Obamas

Posted by Jen Graves on Fri, Oct 23, 2009 at 10:49 AM

What I'm seeing in this photo (first referenced in Morning News) is the art. What are those paintings? They are strategically covered. And look at that white person who snuck in!

Comments (34) RSS

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Yeah, the white person is holding up the mantel, and the black guy is running the country.

OMG I'm turning into Glenn Beck!

Posted by shabadoo on October 23, 2009 at 10:53 AM

I fucking hate Annie Liebowitz with a burning passion, but she (or more likely her staff member) knows how to light for African-Americans.

Posted by Fnarf

on October 23, 2009 at 10:57 AM

i for one am DYING to know what charles thinks about this picture.

obama and sasha wearing white, michelle and malia wearing black and...grey. grey. the convergence of black and white. the man, obama, exemplified in a dress. the green on the walls reminds us of our natural world, full of raccoons. raccoons, shortened to "coons". slavery. pickles.

Posted by taint on October 23, 2009 at 10:58 AM

Um, that's an Annie Liebovitz photo? Shouldn't they have been naked or something?

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on October 23, 2009 at 11:01 AM

thank you for the laff, taint.

Posted by heh on October 23, 2009 at 11:01 AM

@3 Throw in a Zizek reference and you've nailed it.

Posted by Hernandez

on October 23, 2009 at 11:02 AM

@3, 6 Also the lack of boobs, but the showing of just a bit of leg of the eldest daughter, preparing for the sexualization of yet another set of presidential children.

Posted by TheMisanthrope on October 23, 2009 at 11:03 AM

nicely done, @3

Posted by Josh Bomb

on October 23, 2009 at 11:06 AM

Can I just say that Michelle looks stunning.

That is all.

Posted by LAH on October 23, 2009 at 11:14 AM

@3: LOL, well done taint, well done.

Posted by wakka on October 23, 2009 at 11:17 AM

@3 Hee hee. Pickles. That made water shoot out my nose.

Posted by Karla Canadian on October 23, 2009 at 11:19 AM

"But mommy, how can we be sure white bloggers will take one look at our portrait and start talking about race?"

"Don't worry, honey. It's a picture, and the people in it are black. That raises the issue right there. Also, they're white bloggers. It's what they do."

"Oh, good! I can't wait to read all ten thousand blog posts about us being black!"

Posted by elenchos on October 23, 2009 at 11:23 AM

To answer Jen's question (or at least make a stab at it), it kind of looks like a Klimt behind Sasha's head.

Posted by Chris in Vancouver WA on October 23, 2009 at 11:30 AM

thank you, Ms Liebowitz, for a stunning example of overpriced pedestrian portraiture.

Posted by nixor on October 23, 2009 at 11:41 AM

I'm always so proud of my country when I see them.
It's just that they seem like one of us regular folks. No pretense. Just an all American family.

Posted by Vince on October 23, 2009 at 11:44 AM

A propos of nothing, my favorite Annie Liebovitz moment came in a documentary about Queen Elizabeth/royal life. Liebovitz was doing an official portrait shoot with the queen... she took a few shots and then suggested that they do a few shots without the crown because it would look "less dressy." Oh man. The queen shot that one down pretty quickly, and I still remember her saying "Less dressy?!!" in this sort of aghast proper British accent. It was excellent.

Posted by Julie in Eugene on October 23, 2009 at 11:54 AM

Stop posing for portraits and start signing hate crimes bills into law.

If Obama waits more than a few days to sign this I may give up hope for him to ever do anything for LGBT. The white house should make an announcement TODAY when the bill will be signed.

Posted by Normal Adjacent on October 23, 2009 at 11:57 AM

Annie Leibowitz is Obama's Leni Reifenstahl, and is thus a treasonous traitor for spewing pro-Obama propaganda.

If the '10 and '12 elections are allowed to go forward, and patriotic traditionalists are elected to restore America to it's rightful place, hopefully traitors like Leibowitz will be held accountable for promoting a usurper, homosexual, and communist.

Posted by Lord Basil

on October 23, 2009 at 12:00 PM

the kid on the right should rest her hands on mom's sholders

Posted by awkward on October 23, 2009 at 12:03 PM

The photo looks honestly casual, not "put your hands this way" posed. I like it for that, but even more so for the pride I feel as an American when I look at and think about the family we put in the White House last November --- a pride I haven't felt for, well, like forever.

Old White Guy

Posted by Citizen R on October 23, 2009 at 12:17 PM

@3: I love you more than you will ever know.

Posted by baconpussy on October 23, 2009 at 12:33 PM

@3: Wonderful! Y'know, until I got to your comment, I just assumed this WAS a Charles post, LOL! (And...I'll bet he's jealous he didn't get to it fitst!)

Posted by catch on October 23, 2009 at 1:08 PM

The Obama's family photo is infinitely better than this:

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2009/05/0…

Posted by Urgutha Forka on October 23, 2009 at 1:10 PM

@3, that response is racist. Why keep harping on slavery? No one who owned slaves is still alive today.

Posted by Lord Basil

on October 23, 2009 at 1:15 PM

@24, Oh, Lord Basil, I adore you and your deconstruction of conservative thought. It's a pitch-perfect parody! Keep up the good work.

Posted by Andrew Cole on October 23, 2009 at 1:25 PM

I swear, that family is half the reason Obama got elected. I think lots of people wanted to see a Kennedy-esque family in the whitehouse, being black adds to the sit-com warm 'n fuzziness of it.

Also, it make me feel creepy for noticing, but Malia is going to be unbelievably smoking hot when she gets older.

Posted by Trouble on October 23, 2009 at 1:28 PM

Finally, a photograph of Obama and family! Now I can set up a proper shrine to worship his Holiness who is perfect and not at all like George Bush! Oh, Mighty Obama, give me the strength to defend you from the naysayers who say your ass does not smell wonderful!

Posted by Jesus H Obama on October 23, 2009 at 1:37 PM

ha ha @22 - me too, i didn't realize it was NOT charles until @3.

Taint, you are a funny, funny person.

Posted by pffft on October 23, 2009 at 1:42 PM

Nice portrait.

Posted by kim in portland

on October 23, 2009 at 2:16 PM

The fireplace mantel is supported by Napoleon carytids. This looks like the Green Room; however, an online reference shows this same Empire-style fireplace in the Red Room. Annie needs the work as she's bankrupt. I am curiously soothed by this photo and have disabused myself of the notion that Barack's every waking moment must be dedicated to my welfare or else I will live in my Snitmobile forever.

Posted by Rhett Oracle on October 23, 2009 at 2:45 PM

@30: Kinky Friedman reference!

Posted by Baconcat on October 23, 2009 at 3:07 PM

The painting blocked by the littlest one's head is The Builders by Jacob Lawrence. It was acquired in 2007 as part of Laura Bush's redesign of the room.

Posted by Free Lunch on October 23, 2009 at 5:47 PM

Other paintings in the room are The Circus No. 1 by John Marin, Louisa Adams by Gilbert Stuart, The Mosquito Net by John Singer Sargen, and Sand Dunes at Sunset by Henry Ossawa.. I'm guessing the last one is what's above the Lawrence.

Posted by Free Lunch on October 23, 2009 at 6:08 PM

I'm sorry this just needs to be quoted again:

"obama and sasha wearing white, michelle and malia wearing black and...grey. grey. the convergence of black and white. the man, obama, exemplified in a dress. the green on the walls reminds us of our natural world, full of raccoons. raccoons, shortened to "coons". slavery. pickles."

Posted by burgin22