The official portraits of the former President and his wife were unveiled at the White House on Wednesday, with the former President standing expressionless against a white background and her sitting on a sofa in the Red Room wearing a blue dress.
The Obamas were invited to the stage to unveil the portraits by the President. People in the audience applauded.
When he spoke, Obama said it was great to be back. Biden became a true partner and a true friend, he said.
The artist who painted Barack Obama's portrait says the stripped down style of his work helps create an "encounter" between the person in the painting and the person looking at it.
Robert McCurdy likes to present his subjects without facial expression and standing against a white background, which is how America's 44th and first Black president will be seen here for the rest of his life.
The Bidens invited Obama and the former first lady to unveil their portraits at their old home. It was Mrs. Obama's first visit after her husband left office. The anniversary of the health care law was celebrated by Obama.
Sharon Sprung was chosen to paint the former first lady's portrait.
In terms of style and substance, the portraits don't look like any of the other ones in the collection.
He told the White House Historical Association that his style is stripped down because of something. He's done portraits of the Dalai Lama and Jeff Bezos.
There are no props because we aren't here to tell the story of the person sitting for them. We are here to make an encounter between the viewer and the sitter.
He compared the technique to a session with a Psychiatrist in which the patient and doctor tell each other as little as possible about themselves.
The same thing is happening with the paintings. We want the viewer to be able to project onto the sitter.
A photograph of his subjects is the basis of his work. He spends 18 months on each portrait and knows when it's time to stop.
Sprung said she felt like she was in a comedy sketch when she met with the obamas.
She sank into the couch while they sat on the chairs. The president moved the printed talking points away from the room. She was in a meeting and someone asked her why she paints. She began to cry.
Sprung said that he didn't know what put the interview over the top.
She was going to have Mrs. Obama stand in the portrait to give it a certain dignity, but decided to sit because she was too focused on her. I'm less than her.
Sprung spent eight months working on the portrait, the most time she has ever spent on a painting. The State Floor of the White House is where she took the photographs. She said getting the dress right was the most difficult part.
Sprung said she wanted to get the strength of the color and light in the portrait of the first woman elected to congress.
Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both hosted their immediate predecessors for the ceremony.
Donald Trump did not hold a ceremony for Obama. Biden scheduled one for Obama.
The portraits of the two most recent presidents will be displayed in the Grand Foyer of the White House. There are portraits of Clinton and Bush hanging there.
The hallway on the Ground Floor of the White House is where Mrs. Obama's portrait will be placed.
It was difficult to keep the portraits secret. If it hadn't been going on for so long, it wouldn't have been a problem. Sprung's portrait had to be turned to the wall when someone came into her studio.
The White House Historical Association, a nonprofit organization that is funded through private donations and sales of books and an annual Christmas ornament, has paid for most of those in the collection since the 1960s.
The first painting in the collection was bought by congress. The White House received portraits of early presidents as gifts.
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