CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 7/4/2024

For love, and for country

In contrast to Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic 1945 photograph, “V-J Day in Times Square,” Amy Sherald's “For love, and for country” (2022) “decisively queers the intimate pose, swapping out a straight, white couple in favor of two black males in uniform,” Jenni Sorkin writes. “Keenly political, Sherald’s painting exemplifies the era of military policy known as ‘open service,’ in which homosexuality is no longer treated as a crime, a shameful secret or a deficiency. Floating on a bright blue background, Sherald’s couple is the embodiment of the celebratory slogan ‘out, loud, and proud’—both for love, embedded in their own chemistry, seemingly oblivious to the external world, and for country, their patriotism embodied by the white-and-blue-striped sailor shirt, topped with a jaunty red scarf knotted at the throat.” In celebration of the national holiday, this painting is reproduced from the recent Hauser & Wirth monograph, The World We Make.