His Royal Throne: America features Donald Trump as the object of derision. The idea for this political portrait sparked from a humorous thought to portray him similar to King Louis XIV's portrait. Displaying Trump in the iconic "Swagger Pose" would not only connect him to a historical royal figure who is known for his obsession with vanity, spending lavishly, and desire for control, but also invoke an unseriousness in Trump's "reign." It was important for this painting to be flippant to ensure my personal political beliefs were unmistakable, but putting President Trump in an art historical piece that requires extensive background knowledge may not achieve this goal - in fact, it could become the opposite, a glorified portrait. After reflecting on an effective portrayal and discussing with my peers and mentor, the most successful composition was to put President Trump on a toilet.
I began searching for photographs of President Trump where he was facing downwards, and once the image was selected, it was projected onto my canvas to accelerate my imprimatura. The decision to pose this political figure on the toilet captured subtle levity that I desired and allowed me to create a neutral, less intricate facial expression.
Historical presidential portraits maintain backgrounds of non-spaces or a room in the White House with items to allude to what the politicians are or may like. For this portrait, the background is a non-space of the color purple, as it is associated with royalty, to still invoke Trump's behavior to monarchs like King Louis XIV. The added color of yellow with the golden toilet emphasizes the royal theme and connects to contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan.
Cattelan is an Italian sculptor whose overarching work is a playful commentary on the art world and society. In 2016, he made a functioning 18-karat gold toilet titled America that the public could use; this installation provided to the average American a luxury version of a common household item that would typically be for the 1%. Through this irony, Cattelan comments on the "American Dream" of equal opportunity for everyone and our shared physical experiences.
I decided to include Cattelan's America over a standard ceramic toilet because President Trump actively craps on Americans' equal opportunities or general well-being through the policies he passes or refuses to acknowledge and improve. Further, it allows for word play in the title as toilets can be referred to as a throne, this toilet is intentionally named America, and Trump has been perceived as having a desire for monarchical power over the nation.
As mentioned previously, presidential portraits often feature items to hint at the president's interests or character. In my acrylic painting, I included a White House pen between both hands and blacked out files on the lower left side of the canvas. This action done in the restroom emphasizes that censorship is normalized, habitual, for President Trump and relates to humorous tropes of doing crossword puzzles on the toilet.
Overall, President Trump is human. His daily routine differs from the average American citizen, yet he affects every single citizen and non-citizen in the United States of America through his actions. This political portrait acts as a diverting way to comment on President Trump's behavior throughout his current presidential term (2025).
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