Obama to Portraitist: I’ve Got Enough Political Problems Without You Making Me Look Like Napoleon

>> Good morning It is ░░░░░░░░ to see all of ░░░░░░░░ How about that That ░░░░░░░░ pretty sharp Laughter It ░░░░░░░░ my great honor to ░░░░░░░░ here and I want ░░░░░░░░ thank secretary scoreton and ░░░░░░░░ for your outstanding leadership ░░░░░░░░ couple of the crown ░░░░░░░░ of American life and ░░░░░░░░ extraordinary stewardship I want ░░░░░░░░ thank everybody who is ░░░░░░░░ Michelle and I are ░░░░░░░░ grateful for the friends ░░░░░░░░ family and former staff ░░░░░░░░ current staff who have ░░░░░░░░ the time to be ░░░░░░░░ and honor us in ░░░░░░░░ way And soak in ░░░░░░░░ extraordinary art that we ░░░░░░░░ seeing here It means ░░░░░░░░ much to us and ░░░░░░░░ hope you are aware ░░░░░░░░ that We miss you ░░░░░░░░ And applause We miss ░░░░░░░░ guys and we miss ░░░░░░░░ way those who worked ░░░░░░░░ us on this incredible ░░░░░░░░ carried yourselves and worked ░░░░░░░░ hard to make this ░░░░░░░░ a better place Amy ░░░░░░░░ want to thank you ░░░░░░░░ so spectacularly capturing the ░░░░░░░░ and beauty and intelligence ░░░░░░░░ charm and hotness laughter ░░░░░░░░ the woman that I ░░░░░░░░ Laughter Special shout out ░░░░░░░░ my man Joe Biden ░░░░░░░░ An even more special ░░░░░░░░ out to my mother ░░░░░░░░ law who applause Who ░░░░░░░░ addition to providing the ░░░░░░░░ genes laughter Also has ░░░░░░░░ such an extraordinary rock ░░░░░░░░ foundation stone for our ░░░░░░░░ And we are so ░░░░░░░░ grateful to her We ░░░░░░░░ her so much Applause ░░░░░░░░ Michelle I have never ░░░░░░░░ a portrait done of ░░░░░░░░ The hope poster by ░░░░░░░░ was cool but I ░░░░░░░░ t sit for it ░░░░░░░░ in my family tree ░░░░░░░░ far as I can ░░░░░░░░ had a portrait done ░░░░░░░░ do have my high ░░░░░░░░ year book picture Laughter ░░░░░░░░ is no great shakes ░░░░░░░░ so when I heard ░░░░░░░░ this was part of ░░░░░░░░ tradition I didn t ░░░░░░░░ know what to do ░░░░░░░░ and I were somewhat ░░░░░░░░ We were lucky to ░░░░░░░░ some extraordinary friends and ░░░░░░░░ with exquisite taste who ░░░░░░░░ us the assist and ░░░░░░░░ us to consider a ░░░░░░░░ range of artists and ░░░░░░░░ had an immediate connection ░░░░░░░░ the two artists that ░░░░░░░░ sitting here today I ░░░░░░░░ it s fair to ░░░░░░░░ that kahendi and I ░░░░░░░░ maybe not the same ░░░░░░░░ this whole sister girl ░░░░░░░░ We shook hands We ░░░░░░░░ a nice conversation Laughter ░░░░░░░░ and I make different ░░░░░░░░ decisions Laughter But what ░░░░░░░░ did find was that ░░░░░░░░ had certain things in ░░░░░░░░ Both of us had ░░░░░░░░ mothers who raised us ░░░░░░░░ extraordinary love and support ░░░░░░░░ of us had African ░░░░░░░░ who had been absent ░░░░░░░░ our lives and in ░░░░░░░░ ways our journeys involved ░░░░░░░░ for them and figuring ░░░░░░░░ what that meant I ░░░░░░░░ up writing about that ░░░░░░░░ and channeling it into ░░░░░░░░ work that I did ░░░░░░░░ I cannot paint I ░░░░░░░░ sure that his journey ░░░░░░░░ some of those feelings ░░░░░░░░ his art But what ░░░░░░░░ was always struck by ░░░░░░░░ I saw his portraits ░░░░░░░░ the degree to which ░░░░░░░░ challenged our conventional views ░░░░░░░░ power and privilege and ░░░░░░░░ way that he would ░░░░░░░░ extraordinary care and precision ░░░░░░░░ vision in recognizing the ░░░░░░░░ and the grace and ░░░░░░░░ dignity of people who ░░░░░░░░ so often invisible in ░░░░░░░░ lives and put them ░░░░░░░░ a grand stage on ░░░░░░░░ grand scale our lives ░░░░░░░░ put them on a ░░░░░░░░ stage on a grand ░░░░░░░░ And force us to ░░░░░░░░ and see them in ░░░░░░░░ that so often they ░░░░░░░░ not The people that ░░░░░░░░ referred to people in ░░░░░░░░ families people who helped ░░░░░░░░ build this country people ░░░░░░░░ helped to build this ░░░░░░░░ People who to do ░░░░░░░░ day are making sure ░░░░░░░░ place is clean at ░░░░░░░░ and serving food and ░░░░░░░░ out the garbage and ░░░░░░░░ all the other stuff ░░░░░░░░ makes this country work ░░░░░░░░ often out of sight ░░░░░░░░ out of mind And ░░░░░░░░ artist lifted them up ░░░░░░░░ gave them a platform ░░░░░░░░ said they belonged at ░░░░░░░░ center of American life ░░░░░░░░ that was something that ░░░░░░░░ me deeply because in ░░░░░░░░ small way that s ░░░░░░░░ of what I believe ░░░░░░░░ should be about is ░░░░░░░░ simply celebrating the high ░░░░░░░░ the mighty and expecting ░░░░░░░░ the country unfolds from ░░░░░░░░ top down but rather ░░░░░░░░ it comes from the ░░░░░░░░ up Applause Families all ░░░░░░░░ America who are who ░░░░░░░░ working hard and doing ░░░░░░░░ best and passing on ░░░░░░░░ wisdom and resilience and ░░░░░░░░ to their children in ░░░░░░░░ hopes that their lives ░░░░░░░░ be a little bit ░░░░░░░░ And so I was ░░░░░░░░ excited about working with ░░░░░░░░ artist and let s ░░░░░░░░ it he relative to ░░░░░░░░ was working at a ░░░░░░░░ because his subject was ░░░░░░░░ becoming Not as fly ░░░░░░░░ And I want to ░░░░░░░░ that it was although ░░░░░░░░ always used to joke ░░░░░░░░ am not somebody who ░░░░░░░░ a great subject I ░░░░░░░░ t like posing I ░░░░░░░░ impatient I look at ░░░░░░░░ watch I think this ░░░░░░░░ be done One of ░░░░░░░░ pictures must have worked ░░░░░░░░ is this taking so ░░░░░░░░ So it s pretty ░░░░░░░░ trying to just take ░░░░░░░░ picture of me much ░░░░░░░░ paint a portrait I ░░░░░░░░ say that working with ░░░░░░░░ artist was a great ░░░░░░░░ And he and his ░░░░░░░░ made it easy He ░░░░░░░░ the tradition of a ░░░░░░░░ of great artists actually ░░░░░░░░ to hear how I ░░░░░░░░ about it before doing ░░░░░░░░ what he intended to ░░░░░░░░ Laughter I mean there ░░░░░░░░ a number of issues ░░░░░░░░ were trying to negotiate ░░░░░░░░ tried to negotiate less ░░░░░░░░ hair And his artistic ░░░░░░░░ would not allow him ░░░░░░░░ do what I asked ░░░░░░░░ tried to negotiate smaller ░░░░░░░░ Laughter Struck out on ░░░░░░░░ as well Maybe the ░░░░░░░░ area where there were ░░░░░░░░ concessions was as I ░░░░░░░░ before his art often ░░░░░░░░ ordinary people and elevates ░░░░░░░░ Lifts them up and ░░░░░░░░ them in these fairly ░░░░░░░░ settings And so his ░░░░░░░░ impulse maybe in the ░░░░░░░░ was to also elevate ░░░░░░░░ and put me in ░░░░░░░░ settings with partridges and ░░░░░░░░ and robes and mounting ░░░░░░░░ on horses And I ░░░░░░░░ to explain that I ░░░░░░░░ got enough political problems ░░░░░░░░ you making me look ░░░░░░░░ Napoleon We have to ░░░░░░░░ it down just a ░░░░░░░░ Laughter And that s ░░░░░░░░ he did But it ░░░░░░░░ hard obviously to judge ░░░░░░░░ that is a portrait ░░░░░░░░ you but what I ░░░░░░░░ say unequivocally is that ░░░░░░░░ am in awe of ░░░░░░░░ artist s gifts and ░░░░░░░░ he and Amy have ░░░░░░░░ to this country and ░░░░░░░░ the world and we ░░░░░░░░ both very grateful to ░░░░░░░░ been the subject of ░░░░░░░░ attention for this brief ░░░░░░░░