US
Obama Portrait Painter Once Painted Piece Depicting A Black Woman Beheading A White Woman
No featured image available
Former President Barack Obama’s portrait painter once depicted a black woman holding the cutoff head of a white woman in a reimagining of a story from the book of Judith.
Kehinde Wiley, the painter of Obama’s portrait for the National Portrait Gallery, reimagined the story of Judith beheading Holofernes from the deuterocanonical Book of Judith as a black woman beheading a white woman years ago.
The original story tells the tale of a young widow named Judith who steps forward to save her people by seducing and then cutting off the head of Holofernes, an Assyrian general. Countless artists have reimagined the tale, but usually feature a man and a woman. In Wiley’s version of events, Judith is a black woman who cuts off the head of a white woman.
Many of Wiley’s paintings usually envision black people at the forefront of historical events, as “the whole conversation of my work has to do with power and who has it.”
Send tips to amber@
The Daily Caller News Foundation is working hard to balance out the biased American media. For as little as $3, you can help us. Make a one-time donation to support the quality, independent journalism of TheDCNF. We’re not dependent on commercial or political support and we do not accept any government funding.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].