Sunday, October 6, 2013

Diptych: Portraits of The Black and White Obama


Why a White Obama? The White Obama portrait is for those people that say they want their country back, but really mean they want a white man in the White House.  Many years from now, when serious historians will write books about the first black president of the United States, in the back of the book under the Index, and under the letter "R" will be the words racism towards President Obama, the First Lady and the Obama children.  Remember, I prefaced this with the words "serious historians" because no serious historian of American cultural and intellectual history of President Obama's years in the White House can ignore the racism directed towards the president, his wife and his two daughters.  For this reason, as an artist that paints political satire, I painted and constructed the wood frames for these two portraits. Some may disagree with my premise and others might resent that I would paint these two portraits as I did, but they are my interpretation of what I have seen and witnessed as an American for the last 71 years.  Racism is as American as cherry pie.

Diptych: The Black Obama - The White Obama by F. D. Zigler, acrylics on canvas board 16x20 inches, wood frames constructed and painted with gesso and latex eggshell black and white paint, 2013.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

You are SO right, Fred. People say I'm nuts when I tell them that the current Republican intransigeance arises out of racism - that they've never gotten over the fact that a Black man got himself elected President. I wonder what will happen when the next President turns out to be a woman.

moneythoughts said...

What else can those people that say they want their country back mean? A return to the days before the Civil Rights era? Yes, I agree there will be a woman president in the near future. And, unless the Republican Party changes its appeal, it will become a smaller and smaller political party in the years to come.

Unknown said...

I like your art...