How Biden is using artwork to underscore his message to America

Look closely at the video posted on the official @potus Instagram account on March 18. Biden talks about how his administration is about to achieve an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19, with 100 million vaccine shots injected into the arms of Americans. In the background, hanging on the wall just above Biden’s shoulder, is a portrait of James Monroe.

Most students of history know Monroe as the nation’s fifth president. What they may not know: As governor of Virginia, Monroe imposed a quarantine and took other steps that prevented an outbreak of yellow fever from spreading. His actions are credited with heading off a major health crisis and offer signs of hope for Americans battling a deadly pandemic 200 years later.

On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, the White House posted an Instagram message from Biden, who often talks fondly of his Irish heritage. In the photo, Biden is sporting what he calls “my lucky tie” – a shamrock-patterned carbhat accented with a live shamrock carefully tucked into the breast pocket of his navy suit. Peering over his left shoulder is a bronze bust of Robert F. Kennedy, a former senator, attorney general and beloved member of one of the country’s most prominent Irish American families.

A month earlier, on Feb. 18, another Instagram photo showed the Democratic president calling Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to discuss how the federal government can help the state recover from a deadly winter storm. On the wall behind Biden and featured prominently in the photo: Artist Theobald Chartran’s painting of the signing of the peace protocol that ended the Spanish-American War.

“It can’t just be a coincidence,” said Des Moines art gallery owner Liz Lidgett, who spotted the White House’s custom of incorporating artwork into the president’s message.

“To me,” Lidgett said, “this painting is almost saying, ‘I’m asking for unity here. And I don’t care who you voted for. I’m your president, and I’m going to make sure I send you help.’ ”’

When Biden speaks, Americans should pay attention not only to what he says, but what’s in the background, said William Bike, a historian, communications expert and author of a how-to guide on political campaigning.

The White House did not respond to inquiries about how it uses artwork to reinforce the president’s message, who decides which pieces will be featured and how much research is involved.

But politicians have long recognized the power of art – be it a painting, mosaic, sculpture or even music – as a messaging tool.

“Politics is in a sense drama. It’s a communication of values,” said Usha Haley, a professor of management at Wichita State University who has researched the use of art in politics and propaganda. “There is a narrative to politics, and, obviously, Biden is sensitive to it.”

Politics is often interpreted through symbols, and art is highly symbolic, Haley said.

Biden changes decor in Oval Office to include busts of César Chávez and Eleanor Roosevelt plus portraits of Franklin Roosevelt and Benjamin Franklin.
USA TODAY
Alexander the Great used artwork as a way to symbolize political power and burnish his image as a war hero. He often personally picked the artists to paint his likeness. Modern-day politicians in the United States often build flashy logos or campaign ads around images of the American flag, the bald eagle or other patriotic emblems.

It’s an effective way to communicate because “we’re a graphic-oriented society,” Bike said. “We look more than we read, whether we’re looking at our phones or we’re looking at our computers or our TV.”

When you’re president, there is no shortage of artwork at your disposal. The White House’s permanent art collection has more than 500 pieces. Presidents also can – and often do – borrow pieces from the Smithsonian Institution’s vast collection to hang on the walls of the Oval Office or other White House rooms. Museums, galleries and private collectors also loan out pieces for display in the presidential mansion.

“If you are president and you want something in the Oval Office or in the White House someplace, no one is going to say no,” Bike said.

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