Recreated Portrait

This image is a recreation of the official Presidential portrait of John F Kennedy, commissioned and painted after his death to portray a more reflective version of the president that the public often does not see. I recreated this image by dressing in a similar suit and standing against a white wall, hanging my head and crossing my arms. I took the image with a timer on a tripod. In the darkroom, I painted on the developer to make the image seem like an unfinished painting.

This image uses sharp focus, formal balance, and low-key lighting. Originally, I was going to have the image printed in its entirety in the darkroom, but I thought that I could better convey the painting's idea of an unfinished presidency by making it look more like an unfinished painting.

I like American history, so I wanted to chose a painting that related to that history. Originally, I wanted to do Washington crossing the Delaware, but that proved too complicated for time restraints. This worked for me because I like JFK and enjoy the uniqueness of this presidential portrait, how it stands out from the rest because it is so contemplative. If I were to change something, I would like there to be more negative space, similar to how the painting is spaced.