Every President of the United States has an official portrait painted and placed in the National Portrait Gallery. But it turns out there’s more to the portrait of former President Bill Clinton than you might realize unless you take a moment to look very closely.
The painter of the 42nd President, Nelson Shanks, now says he added a sly reference to the Monica Lewinsky scandal that dogged Clinton during his second term in office. Shanks, who calls Clinton “the most famous liar of all time,” explains exactly how he managed to get his opinion onto the canvas by placing a shadow on the Oval Office mantel seen in the portrait:
“It actually literally represents a shadow from a blue dress that I had on a mannequin, that I had there while I was painting it, but not when he was there. It is also a bit of a metaphor in that it represents a shadow on the office he held, or on him.”
Shanks, who has also done portraits of luminaries such as Princess Diana, actress Marisa Tomei, and Pope John Paul II, says the former President and Hillary Clinton are not a big fans of the painting:
“(They)?hate the portrait.”
It should also be noted that in the painting President Clinton is not wearing a wedding ring.
During President Clinton’s second term, his affair with Lewinsky, a White House intern, became public knowledge and even led to impeachment proceedings against the President. He was acquitted of all charges and left office as one of the most popular President’s in modern history.
The portrait, which was unveiled in 2006, along with one of the former First Lady, is actually a good likeness of Clinton. But it’s probably safe to assume that should Hillary become President in 2016, she won’t request Nelson Shanks to paint her official portrait.
