Amy Sherald’s Blue Sky Vision for America

Amy Sherald’s name is inextricably linked to one iconic artwork — her 2018 portrait of Michelle Obama, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery. The piece catapulted Sherald to instant stardom, largely due to its departure from the standard norms of academic portraiture, typically characterized by somber men against dark, heavy backdrops. Sherald instead placed America’s former First Lady against a serene powder blue expanse, evoking a sense of open air and limitless possibility. Clad in a sleeveless gown and leaning forward thoughtfully, Obama channels Rodin’s “The Thinker,” presenting a modern and contemplative figure.

However, this renowned portrait is something of an outlier in Sherald’s broader body of work. The exhibition “Amy Sherald: American Sublime,” currently on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art, presents a collection of 42 paintings that reveal Sherald’s true artistic focus — not the portrayal of the elite but the everyday narratives of ordinary people. Rather than capturing well-known faces, Sherald is more inclined to present singular, story-rich vignettes, reimagining the everyday in a way that elevates the mundane to the realm of the extraordinary. Her work, though occasionally bordering on the didactic, is rescued from overt sentimentality by her sharp sense of composition and the striking simplicity of her aesthetic.

Upon entering the exhibit’s fifth-floor gallery, visitors are immediately met with a series of five life-sized portraits, each set against a vividly colored backdrop. One standout piece, “The Girl Next Door” (2019), showcases a young woman wearing a white polka-dot dress against a rich emerald background. Unlike the effortlessly poised girl-next-door archetype popularized by Hollywood, Sherald’s subject is slightly awkward, her red belt riding up to her chest in a clear but endearing attempt to appear well-put-together. Despite the perceived awkwardness, her polished hair, meticulously applied lipstick, and carefully chosen attire speak volumes about the desire for self-expression and the pressures of feminine presentation in American culture.

Sherald, now 51, is meticulous in her creative process. She carefully selects her models, outfits them in distinct costumes, and arranges them with specific props, constructing scenes that draw upon familiar, nostalgic symbols of American life — white picket fences, manicured lawns, and unblemished summer days. It’s a world steeped in idealized Americana, yet the figures within it are often imbued with a sense of quiet introspection or subtle dissonance.

The exhibition’s titles add yet another layer of complexity, oscillating between humor and heroism. For instance, “It Made Sense … Mostly in her Mind” (2011) depicts a woman in a classic navy blazer and gold-button ensemble that exudes professionalism. Yet, she is also inexplicably wearing a lavender plastic helmet and holding a whimsical toy — a pink-and-white unicorn stick horse. The dissonance between her attire and her childlike accessory underscores Sherald’s interest in exploring the tension between reality and fantasy, self-perception and societal expectation.

Sherald’s works frequently evoke the feeling of childhood dress-up games, with characters often clad in retro, patterned fabrics — polka dots, florals, and stripes — rendered with a meticulousness that recalls classical portraiture. The clothing in her portraits is notably pristine, reminiscent of freshly unpacked J.Crew garments, a quality that aligns her aesthetic with that of Alex Katz, another contemporary artist known for his depiction of crisp, idealized clothing.

In some of her larger, more recent works, such as “A God Blessed Land (Empire of Dirt)” (2022), Sherald’s dedication to immaculate surfaces becomes both a strength and a limitation. In this 11-foot-wide mural, a man sits atop a gleaming green tractor that appears almost too perfect, as if plucked from a commercial catalog. This high-polish finish, while visually striking, occasionally detracts from the narrative depth and tactile quality of her subjects.

Sherald’s career trajectory is marked by resilience and perseverance. Born in Columbus, Georgia, she studied fine art at Clark Atlanta University and later earned her MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. During her time in graduate school, she was diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy, a life-threatening heart condition that culminated in a heart transplant in 2012. Despite the challenges, Sherald’s artistic voice only grew stronger, culminating in her breakthrough moment in 2016, when she became the first Black woman to win the grand prize in the National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition for her work “Miss Everything (Unsuppressed Deliverance)” (2014).

The exhibition also highlights Sherald’s nuanced exploration of race, particularly through her signature use of grayscale skin tones, a choice that she describes as a means of sidestepping racial categorization. While her palette is often soft and subdued, her subject matter can be strikingly political. A prime example is her portrait of Breonna Taylor (2020), which presents the young woman, whose death at the hands of police became a flashpoint in the Black Lives Matter movement, in a contemplative, ethereal pose against a turquoise backdrop.

Looking at the broader scope of Sherald’s work, her style can best be described as American realism, with a focus on everyday people cast in the roles of protagonists in scenes that oscillate between the ordinary and the surreal. Her approach is reminiscent of Norman Rockwell’s narrative illustrations, which similarly sought to capture the spirit of American life, albeit through a more sentimental lens. One of Sherald’s formative artistic experiences occurred when, as a young girl, she encountered a painting by Bo Bartlett, a fellow Columbus native, depicting a Black man standing proudly outside a modest brick house. That image, she later said, profoundly impacted her perception of what art could be and who it could represent.

While “American Sublime” may not evoke the terror and grandeur typically associated with the sublime in art history, Sherald’s work nonetheless offers a profound sense of stillness and contemplation, a kind of “superfine” depiction of Black American life that captures both the ordinary and the extraordinary with equal intensity. As the exhibition moves to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., it will likely acquire new political resonance in a cultural moment increasingly defined by debates over diversity, equity, and representation.

Ultimately, Sherald’s art challenges viewers to see beyond surface appearances, inviting them to engage with the subtle narratives that define her subjects’ lived experiences. In a world where everyone seeks to be seen, Sherald’s work reminds us of the importance of truly looking.