First Lady Art Print

... I admit, upon making my first comment, I wasn't aware of the original source for this image - so yes, knowing this I now see a racial American history reference is addressed in this piece. This ads poignancy to the beauty of the portrait... in my opinion

I see nothing here that has anything to do with race. It's a beautiful portrait.

This piece is absolutely GORGEOUS! I'd love to be portrayed in such a way! Don't let the naysayers get to you ... art, if its REAL art, is meant to elicit comment and controversy, be it painting, sculpture, writing or music.

Ms. Abraham above hit it right on the marker. All the women dipicted in your paintings, including Mrs. Obama, have a history that surpasses their American or Royal history. Africans were Kings and Queens, Rulers of great empires including Eroupe prior to slavery. And Europeans were peasents. You dipicted the positive era of the white women you painted, and you choose to dipict Mrs.Obama in a negative light. Also, the slight smile on her face conveys a happy slave ready and willing to give her dear master whatever he wishes while wrapped in an American Flag. The painting that inspired this, the women face tells a dishearting story. She is wrapped in cloth. When I look at this painting, it helps me as a decendent understand what it was like from her point of view. I don't think that what you painted of Mrs.Obama is equvilant. I think that you know full well what you were doing. Negative publicity is still publicity. Mr. Obama is not painted as a slave. Why? Isn't that where he comes from too???

I would like to thank you ALL for your comments and for the time that some of you have taken in preparing and expressing your opinions in such a detailed manner. All points of view are very valued Thank you Karine

I've read the opinions of several people commenting on this piece, I've read about the original piece that influenced this one, and I've also read your opinions, Ms. Percheron-Daniels, namely this line: "her ROOTS (the slave)." As a person who is descended from Africans who were brought to this country as captives and as well as those who came from the continent as immigrants, I find your view of what Mrs. Obama's roots are quite problematic. Why would you choose to highlight her identity as a descendant of captives instead of highlighting the majesty of the African roots they possessed? In case you weren't privy to this, that is the reason why so many Black people in this country choose to self-identify as African-Americans, to keep people from looking at us through the lens of a slave. With your work, you show complete ignorance of this vitally important piece of culturally sensitive information. This is the First Lady of the United States. She is a dignitary. You should take as much care and attention to depict her as you did your beloved Queen Elizabeth II for her jubilee and Princess Diana. Why didn't you completely bare the breasts of those subjects? Dignitaries should be portrayed with dignity, and you've done so with all of your other nudes. The artistic integrity of your other pieces is notably superior to that of Mrs. Obama. You exposed a breast to qualify it as a nude, you lightened the skin, super-imposed a face, and slightly tweaked it to make it a profile instead of a frontal portrait.For the representation of all things good and beautiful that you claimed you wanted this piece to be, it seems to fall painfully short compared to the effort you seemed to pour into the others. You have left me both confused and disappointed, Ms. Percheron-Daniels.

I have read the opinions of various persons regarding this painting. I am of the opinion that most of them are reacting on impulse and raw uncontroled emotion. I further noted that they are viewing this work through puritanical lenses. Based on my research I have found that the original painting when displayed in the early 1800's was seen by many as a positive symbol and simply a beautiful work of art. I feel that this work has been taken out of context.

It is time that you people from Europe get out of the bubble that you live into as it concern slavery and colonialism. Your French schools refuse to teach you your own history properly and continues to sees Europe as the craddle of the world. Come to the "New World" Madame come to school here than you will understand how wrong you are. By having lived in Europe, I know how ignorant you people are about our history. Instead of looking at it across the Atlantic, come and learn. Europe teach its children nothing but what they percieve as the benefits of slavery and colonialism. Get out of your cup of tea, your dream world and don't just applaud your work when we as black are telling you that you are wrong just as it would be wrong to take the wife of jewish president and fashion her in a holocaust depiction.

I find your work repulsive. I am a black woman and I believe that your country France/England has done enough in slaving black people and continue its colonial pathology in these present time but you had to push it one step further. Why ever would you place Madame Obama in a slave position? There is no art that can explain what you did. I looked up your work I did not see you portray the queen, King Henry with blood in their hands, with shark teeth as much as you find a slave in Madame Obama, the queen's hand is filled with the blood of the colonies, I did not see you dress the other presidents' wives with pilgrim outfit. To top it all off you are making money out of it when will have salvation in this world us blacks don't we already have enough having to deal with the psychosis of colonialism. How dare you justify your trash in saying that it is out of love, I don't see you painting the jews with a Nazi stamps on them... no that would be a sacriledge, that one can't toy with right? Like I said on your other webpage, this can only come from a French and of course a Spanish country to applaud such depravity. Get out of your white shoes for 5 minutes and think for a slip second in the skin of a black than may be you will understand that your heart is just as placing Madame Obama on naked on display for sale to be poked, raped, beaten by the likes of yours like our great grandmother were. For you this is Art for us this woman from Benoist painting is a not so distant cousin that was forced to be painted by another French woman like yourself without her having to say about it because she was a cattle. That is Madame Obama to you? I am proud to be Haitian and so glad that my ancestors knew exactly what to do with people like yourself in 1804. Next time put blood in the hand of the queen and your other white leaders that will be more fitting

as has been revealed elsewhere on the net,your source material was that of a painting depicting a Black slave woman...Black women were rarely if ever depicted in the same manner as europeans...even when meant to flatter, you should be aware and at least give consideration to the fact that we African Americans have seen our image debased at the hands of europeans since time immemorial...that is an indisputable fact...that some find this depiction distasteful isn't surprising, here in the states a very important historical event is shaping up...your depiction can/might be perceived as a veiled attempt to degrade the image of the first black "first family" ...more than a few brits would be understandably angry at seeing the queen depicted in any way save with dignity and respect... african american men and women have been depicted historically in neither fashion...fyi