Light is easy to love.

Amy Sherald’s portraits are intimate explorations of the complexity of Black identity. Drawing on her childhood experience of being one of only a few Black children in her southern private school, Sherald is interested in the construction of identity within various political, social, and economic spheres. She has stated: “I was raised to be conscious of how I acted, spoke, and dressed. I learned this was the key to my social acceptance and assimilation.” Sherald also modifies her subjects’ skin color; instead of using shades of brown, she mixes black and yellow paint to create gray skin tones. In doing so, she encourages viewers to consider the ambiguity of race, and to recognize the roles that performance and perception play in daily life. Amy Sherald is the official portraitist of former First Lady Michelle Obama.