The September issue of Vanity Fair will feature a portrait of Breonna Taylor painted by Amy Sherald, the artist made famous for her painting of former First Lady Michelle Obama for the National Portrait Gallery.
In a behind-the-scenes interview, Sherald discussed her creation of the work.
Taylor is an “American girl, she is a sister, a daughter, and a hard worker. Those are the kinds of people that I am drawn towards,” says Sherald, who is immunosuppressed and has been unable to participate in protests. She calls this portrait a contribution to the “moment and to activism — producing this image keeps Breonna alive forever.”
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Vanity Fair wrote that Sherald usually begins her work by taking pictures of her subject. As she had never met Taylor, who was killed by Louisville, Kentucky police on March 13, she found a model of similar physical attributes. Sherald said that she studied photographs of the slain young woman’s hairstyles and fashion choices.
She also drew inspiration from other aspects of Taylor’s life, including her job as a frontline worker (Emergency Medical Technician), and the fact that her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, had been planning to propose to her. Sherald said that she learned about other attributes about Taylor, who was “self-possessed, brave, loving, and loved.”
In the painting, Taylor is dressed in a light blue crepe dress designed by Jasmine Elder of JIBRI, an Atlanta-based fashion designer. The dress was inspired by one worn by actress Danielle Brooks, of Orange Is the New Black.
Sherald said that she found herself speaking to Taylor. “Breonna, what color do you want this dress to be? Please, tell me what color you want this dress to be,’” Sherald says she mused.
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The blue that Sherald chose reflects Taylor’s birthstone, aquamarine.
The September issue is being guest-edited by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It will explore art, activism, and power in 21st century America.
The Vanity Fair cover marks the second September magazine dedicated to Breonna Taylor. As theGrio reported last month, Oprah Winfrey‘s O Magazine unveiled its September cover issue featuring Taylor. It marked the first time in the magazine’s 20-year history that Winfrey did not appear on the cover.
In a column entitled, “Why Oprah Gave Up Her Cover for the First Time Ever to Honor Breonna Taylor” Winfrey explains her historic decision, which was made right before the publication ends its print run at the end of the year and moves to digital-only.
“She was just like me. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter,” Winfrey said.
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