Current Events > Hilarious nitpicking tour of official presidential portraits. Very interesting.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://medium.com/@catherineannemoore/official-presidential-portraits-from-worst-to-less-worst-f4d798f36b58

Some really good stuff there, I think. The commentary is pretty interesting, and clearly the person behind it has a reasonable knowledge of painting, but the funniness comes from the ridiculous nitpicking. Calm down, alright.

What do you think? Some great portraits, especially stuff like Kennedy, and TR.

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The most stupid whining is when the person complains about non-American painters. What does that matter, if it's a good portrait? Stfu.
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i didn't see any nitpicking i would call ridiculous. healy needs to work on his arms.
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I have a lot more appreciation for Obama's portrait now than I did when it was unveiled
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I don't think I had even seen Obama's portrait. One of the worst there. Way too postmodern.

Overall worst is Andrew Jackson's. He honestly looks like a vampire, with the black and red collared outfit, and the brooding background.

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The Nixon and Eisenhower paintings really show off the intellectualness of those presidents. The dignity, too.

Why do so many of the paintings feature dark, threatening looking clouds in the background? Why not blue skies? I think this is to do with traditional views of masculinity, i.e. aggressive and possibly dangerous.

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I thought it was interesting when the writer pointed out the difference between portraits done before photography was ubiquitous and after
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Hey eston, which is your favourite of all the portraits?
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Not sure, I was mostly there for the commentary. I don't like how a lot of them are just black and brown palettes
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Awesome, will take a look now
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I agree with a lot of them.
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I'm surprised Washington's is considered so good. There's something odd about the way he's gesturing. Also, his face has this strange puffiness to it (although, he might have actually looked like that).
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James Monroe looks kinda like a manga character.
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Sunhawk posted...

I don't think I had even seen Obama's portrait. One of the worst there. Way too postmodern.

Overall worst is Andrew Jackson's. He honestly looks like a vampire, with the black and red collared outfit, and the brooding background.

That pic of Andrew Jackson always reminds me that he could be Count Dooku.
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Sunhawk posted...

The Nixon and Eisenhower paintings really show off the intellectualness of those presidents. The dignity, too.

Why do so many of the paintings feature dark, threatening looking clouds in the background? Why not blue skies? I think this is to do with traditional views of masculinity, i.e. aggressive and possibly dangerous.

Reagan's looked pretty pleasant.

Like he was a God in heaven or something.
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The Buchanan one is interesting.
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Sunhawk posted...

Overall worst is Andrew Jackson's. He honestly looks like a vampire, with the black and red collared outfit, and the brooding background.

pretty sure Jackson was a vampire
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If you look at a lot of paintings throughout history, there are proportion issues, alignment issues, anatomy issues. I think that's why I liked the French academic painters so much, the paintings didn't have as many of those issues.
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bump
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Compare those to the Jacques Louis David Napoleon unfinished portrait:



That's a way to depict a leader
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Anyone else have any opinions?
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Sunhawk posted...

Also, his face has this strange puffiness to it (although, he might have actually looked like that).

It's the dentures. They're also why he usually has a pained expression in his portraits.

Teddy's and JFKs are my favorites. I forgot how hideous Obama's was.
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Southernfatman posted...

Sunhawk posted...

Also, his face has this strange puffiness to it (although, he might have actually looked like that).

It's the dentures. They're also why he usually has a pained expression in his portraits.

Teddy's and JFKs are my favorites. I forgot how hideous Obama's was.

Looks like it was made with color by numbers.

Anyway I'm sure that there is some traditional portraits of him, or I hope.
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Obama's portrait is still ridiculous to me. The official presidential portrait should stay within the traditional boundaries. This kind of art has its place elsewhere.