Obama unveils official portraits, jokes about wife’s ‘hotness’
February 13, 2018 by admin
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Barack Obama joked about his ears and gray hair and praised his wife Michelle Obama’s “hotness” at the unveiling of the couple’s official portraits at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery on Monday.
The Obamas selected artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald for the paintings, which take their place in the National Portrait Gallery’s collection of presidential portraits.
Wiley and Sherald were the first black artists ever commissioned to paint a president or first lady for the Smithsonian.
For Obama’s portrait by Wiley, the former president is depicted sitting in a brown chair with a backdrop of bright green leaves and colorful flowers. Sherald’s painting of Michelle Obama shows her sitting with one hand under her chin and the other draped across her lap, while wearing a long flowing dress decorated with geometric shapes.
Obama, the first African-American U.S. president, complimented Sherald for her portrait of Michelle.
“I want to thank you for so spectacularly capturing the grace and beauty and intelligence and charm and hotness of the woman that I love,” Obama said.
He quipped that Wiley, who painted his portrait, was at a disadvantage because his subject was “less becoming.”
“I tried to negotiate less gray hair and Kehinde’s artistic integrity would not allow him to do what I asked,” Obama said in tongue-in-cheek fashion. “I tried to negotiate smaller ears – struck out on that as well.”
New York Times art critic Holland Cotter said while he was impressed by Barack Obama’s unusual depiction, he was disappointed that the focus of Michelle Obama’s portrait appeared to be her dress.
“I was anticipating — hoping for — a bolder, more incisive image of the strong-voiced person I imagine this former first lady to be,” Cotter said in his review.
Most Twitter posts described the portraits as stunning, although a few criticized them as poorly executed.
“Behold the beauty of Barack and Michelle Obama’s official portrait,” tweeted @newyorknewart.
Michelle Obama said she hoped the portrait would have an impact on young girls of color in the years ahead.
“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,” she said. “I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives, because I was one of those girls.”
The Portrait Gallery’s tradition of commissioning presidential portraits began with President George H.W. Bush. Other portraits were acquired as gifts, bought at auctions or through other means.
Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Kieran Murray, Susan Thomas and Jonathan Oatis
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Vanessa Trump taken to hospital as precaution after white powder sent to her home
February 13, 2018 by admin
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The suspicious letter that sent President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law to a Manhattan hospital was postmarked from Boston and appeared to contain corn starch, multiple senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.
The letter was addressed to Vanessa Trump’s husband, Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, officials said.
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The Trump family expressed disgust over the Monday incident.
“No one deserves to be frightened this way,” Donald Jr.’s sister Ivanka tweeted.
Donald Trump Jr. called it “disgusting” in a tweet but said everyone was safe.
Thankful that Vanessa my children are safe and unharmed after the incredibly scary situation that occurred this morning. Truly disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their opposing views with such disturbing behavior.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 12, 2018
Vanessa Trump and two other people were taken to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center strictly as a precaution.
The NYPD said the white powder in the envelope was deemed to be non-hazardous and was taken to a lab for further analysis. More testing is being done, but officials said it appeared the substance was harmless corn starch.
“How disturbed must a person be to do what they did to a mother of five children?” Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal attorney, said in a statement. “This dangerous and reckless act goes beyond political differences.”
The Secret Service said it was investigating and would have no further comment.
Residents who exited the 54th Street building were shocked by the incident.
David Schnall, a 52-year-old lawyer who lives in the building, called the incident “horrible,” and said he’s “upset it happened.”
Schnall also said, “The media is inflaming a lot of hysteria with regard to Trump and this is just a product of that. There is an inflammation of hatred towards the president and anything to do with him, and hopefully this will be a signal for people to stop.”
Lois Winston, a psychologist who works and lives in the building, said she doesn’t know any of the affected residents, but she feels “sorry for them” and wishes them well.
“I think it’s terrifying,” she said. “I think it’s terrifying that anybody would send a package like that, regardless of who it was to, it’s terrible. But there are so many terrible things right now that it’s not surprising.”