Official Bush Portraits (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
George and Laura Bush’s official portraits were unveiled today. The portraits are more casual than I expected but each captures their personalities. I especially like the close-up of Laura Bush’s portrait in the 4th photo in the gallery at the link.
UPDATE 12/20/2008: These are the Bushes’ official portraits but they will be displayed at the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian. I believe other, more formal, portraits will be given to the White House collection.
– DRJ
It’s been many years since I was in DC, but I did go on an East Wing tour. They had Hillary and Bill Clinton’s portrait relatively unprotected and I was impressed no crazies had tampered with it.
I would bet 20 bucks that someone puts a showprint on Bush’s portrait. I hope they save the real painting and display a print.
These are pretty good portraits.
Comment by Juan (4cdfb7) — 12/19/2008 @ 2:08 pm
Nice.
Comment by jwarner (0a2a75) — 12/19/2008 @ 2:47 pm
Laura’s is quite beautiful and very evocative of her personality, as far as we in the public who lived in her time know it — calm, gentle, literate. A+ official portrait.
George’s is just odd. He doesn’t have to be holding an eagle in one hand and a globe in the other but it just doesn’t look like an official Presidential portrait. It’s actually a good portrait of the man but not for the official Presidential one. Have him wearing a suit at least. Also, that’s a weird shirt. Put him in a standard blue oxford dress shirt if you want, or in a double flap pocket cowboy shirt if you want, but I have never seen a mutant hybrid shirt like that before.
Comment by Aplomb (b6fba6) — 12/19/2008 @ 5:37 pm
Shirt…Isn’t that a “Pendelton Shirt”?
If so, sort of standard “work casual” for the TX back-country.
Comment by Another Drew (efe318) — 12/19/2008 @ 5:46 pm
3. I agree. Some of the literature I have read about Bush says that he has always been respectful of the position and the white house. He wears a tie/suit almost every day (Clinton often wore jeans at the white house). It seems as though the official portrait would reflect his style of dress a little more accurately.
Comment by truthnjustice (d99227) — 12/19/2008 @ 5:52 pm
Maybe, AD, but it looks funny to me. I see a lot of that style here in Austin (double flap pockets) but not made out of what looks like blue oxford cotton like you would have with dress shirts. Also, I don’t like the way the sleeves are hiking up his arms.
I mean, he probably did show up for the portrait dressed like that, and did strike that pose and the artist thought it captured his personality best, and I do think it is a pretty good portrait of the guy. He looks open and friendly and down to earth. It’s a good pose and look in a candid photo. It just doesn’t look like an official Presidential portrait to me. They should be wearing a suit, standing by a window holding a pen or leaning on a desk or something. Maybe I’m old fashioned but this is gonna look kind of odd if you were to go through a slideshow of all the earlier ones and get to this one.
Comment by Aplomb (b6fba6) — 12/19/2008 @ 5:59 pm
Changing times…
Comment by Another Drew (efe318) — 12/19/2008 @ 6:10 pm
…and, Pendelton Shirts come in many different fabrics now, where they were always wool before.
Comment by Another Drew (efe318) — 12/19/2008 @ 6:11 pm