By: Kayla Pasacreta

The Obamas' official portrait was unveiled today at the National Portrait Gallery today, and to say they're beautiful is an understatement! The portraits were highly anticipated. The Obamas notably selected two black painters - Kehinde Wiley for Barack's, and Amy Sherald for Michelle's. Their portraits stray from tradition.

Barack Obama's portrait features the former (or, forever) President sitting in a chair amongst a green, flowery background. If you dig deeper, you realize the flowers symbolize the prospective flowers of his background. The African blue lilies represent his father's heritage while the chrysanthemums represent the origins of his political and personal family background in Chicago, and the jasmine represents his childhood home of Hawaii. Kehinde described his use of the flowers as, "charting [Obama's] path on earth through these plants."

Michelle Obama's portrait showcases a cool, yet assertive First Lady. Her portrait is noticeably etched with coal alongside small glimpses of color, possibly to draw attention to her strength. 

Both of the portraits ironically seem to challenge social stigmas abut masculinity and femininity. Typically, women are associated with the softness of things like flowers - but instead, Barack is shown on a floral background. The colors in Michelle's portrait are dimmer than the ones in Barack, showing that Michelle symbolize a unique, exquisitely different type of woman.

As if the unveiling wasn't already cool enough, Barack's reaction to Michelle's portrait was everything, as he thanked Amy Sherald, "for so spectacularly capturing the grace, beauty, intelligence, charm and hotness of the woman I love,”

The portraits will be available to the public starting tomorrow, February 13th.