Following the release of the official portrait of the US president-elect, an expert reveals how digging through art history can help decipher its meaning.

Whether or not your political views align with those of Donald Trump, it's hard to deny that a series of recent photos of the former and future president of the United States are as striking as any in the history of American politics — and they are instantly etched in the in people's minds. Cultural awareness.

release Trump's official presidential portrait Last week, ahead of today’s inauguration, a striking triptych of his works was completed for release in late August 2023 Booking photosThe photo was taken after he was indicted in Georgia for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. This photo, the one heard around the world, was followed almost a year later by Shocking blood-stained photo of then-candidate Trumppumping his fist defiantly in the air after being hit in the right ear by a would-be assassin's bullet.

While the first two photos are intriguing, the latest portrait, taken by Trump's chief photographer Daniel Torok and released by his transition team before Trump was re-sworn in, may be the most An extraordinary one. The sharp expression and hawkish gaze captured in the image are unprecedented among American presidential portraits—one would have to scour the pages of art history to find a convincing parallel to this aggressive gaze.

While Trump's provocative pose may have been intentional in the Atlanta photo, neither the presentation of the photo nor the dramatic images taken in the chaotic moments following the July 2024 assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania, None of them are under his control. Torok's is. The official photo was carefully designed, with every aspect calibrated for maximum effect—from the almost metallic dusk light in which Trump’s face is lit from below, to his severe, asymmetrical squint. The photographer succeeded.

Traditionally, official photos of the president — even from when Trump first assumed senior office eight years ago — are designed to convey a message of openness and affability. They are calm, smiling, and almost always memorable. "Better days are coming," they seem to say. That's not it. This ominous image is a steely statement of imminent purpose. While reporters worked hard to distill the essence of the portrait into everyday language, auditioning words like "scowl" and "stern," Trump's expression defied simple words. This is very strange.

To capture the unique penetrating power of the president-elect’s demeanor, we really need a new word—one imbued with unwavering intent to win. "Horn" will do. The closest thing in art history to this frowning, frowning, and arrogant look is a remote portrait painted by the 17th-century Italian Baroque artist Salvator Rosa, who had a strong Equally vivid is Philosophy, a fascinating canvas in the National Gallery, London, which personifies the academic discipline. The gaze between the two images in the painting and the photograph seems to be designed to avoid the slightest objection. Rosa's subject is depicted holding a threatening sign that reads "Be silent unless your speech is better than silence."

While the atmosphere is ostensibly warm, the Torok photo of Vice President-elect J.D. Vance posted alongside Trump itself has an unexpectedly edgy feel. It also opens up an interesting dialogue with images from art history. Unlike Trump, Vance was technically smiling. But his smile was more of a guarded, closed smile than a wide one. Vance crossed his arms, reinforcing a persistent air of cold reserve. He's excited to see you, but not ready to share.

Vance's body language says so much. After all, he's not the first president-elect or vice president to cross his arms during an official portrait. Both sides took similar positions Joe Biden and barack obama for their official portrait. Ever since Aaron Shikler created a famous painting in 1971, Pensive President John F. KennedyDepicted as having his arms crossed and lost in thought, crossed arms have long been the default posture for any reflective executive.

But in Vance’s portrait, it’s not just his limbs that feel folded. Everything about him seemed closed off and inaccessible. Even his lips seemed to be crossing their arms. His focus feels firmly fixed somewhere else outside the frame, recalling the enigmatic portraits of pioneering French artist Paul Cézanne Man with arms crossed, 1899. Like the figures in Cézanne's paintings, Vance's mind, like his body, is wrapped up and tightly bound, unable to be untied. In an email announcing the release of the official portraits to the media, Trump's transition team insisted the images "be tough," underscoring the assertion with a fire emoji. It remains to be seen how much these photos offer a glimpse into the image of America the new leaders intend to portray.