New Clinton portraits unveiled for National Portrait Gallery
 

Two new portraits of the Clintons have been unveiled for the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. One of President Bill Clinton by Nelson Shanks, and another by Ginny Stanford of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. These were just unveiled at the Smithsonian Castle Building. So far, images are not too clear of these portraits.

Here's an ABC News link:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1885974

and here's a video link:


http://my.earthlink.net/channel/vide...nton_portraits

Garth

Thanks for sharing Garth.

I love that comment: "What, are you crazy?"

I saw the one of President Clinton when it was underway in Nelson Shanks' studio. He had had a replica of the mantel built so he could paint it from life. I remember thinking how lifelike the colors were in the painting. I think he captured Clinton at his best.

Thanks for the link, Garth.

I posted a link to Shank's method in painting this portrait in "The Going for Excellence" thread.

Presidential Portrait Artist
 

I am so glad to read that the artist's name was revealed. He/she was never named on the news on Channel 3 here in AZ tonight, so all I saw and heard here was that the portrait was way too sexy and far too unusual for a presidential portait group. Couldn't wait to see who had painted Pres. Clinton. Now I know, thanks to this forum.

Personal opinion: I enjoyed the painting. Of course, I always look at technique, so my view may have narrow blinders on as far as world opinion.

What did the media mean when they said that this president looked too human??? Oh, my gosh. I am so disillusioned. ;C

It's one of my favorite Shanks now.

Alex did you see the dress form casting reflective light?

Carol I don't know if this was what you were hinting too, but every news cast I saw - not one mentioned the artist name! What's with that?

Yes, I heard no artist names mentioned on the news either. On the NBC Nightly News last night, Brian Williams was scripted to say something to the effect, about the president's portrait, that one critic likened it as nothing more than a badly rendered portrait of Ted Koppel! That's about all that he was scripted to say about it, except that reviews of Hillary's portrait were generally better.

Garth

Shame on "Them"
 

Yes Beth. I could only watch one channel, so I didn't know what the others were saying. Sounds like the press release didn't include the artist's name. Shame on "Them" whoever "Them" was that wrote it. :thumbsdow There was no mention of the artist that painted Hillary either.

I am not sure how to link to a video on CNN.com, but this morning I saw a video clip that was picking on Bill Clinton's portrait quite a bit, and also highlighted Hillary Clinton's portrait.

Anyone else see if or interested in linking to it here?

Let's see if this works:

LINK

Well Hung!?!
 

Thanks Lacey, great link! Yikes....

I guess we better be extra careful to avoid insinuating poses when we paint presidents; not that this portrait actually has such a problem, but evidently people will read the most marvelous insights into portraits and poses, warranted or not. :o I guess we all need a degree in popular body language studies.

Garth

That's Jeanne Moos. I don't think she's done a serious news story in her life. She's all about poking fun. I like her stuff.

She did mention BOTH artists, too!

Oh - as for the NYPost, they're hilarious. It's a daily, but comes off more like the National Enquirer in flavor.

Garth- Hah! You say "we" like we all get presidential commissions! :oops: Well, at least maybe this will be something you can think about in the future when painting such a subject.

Cindy- I do miss the Post. I used to read it everyday on lunch break when I lived in Syracuse. Page Six was it? I thought the comment about him making a gang sign was especially inventive! ;)

Anyhow, I do happen to like the pose and I think if I did some searching I might find a president or royalty in such a stance. (I am envisioning someone in tights and a white wig.) Afterall, he was a 'groovy' president; he played the sax, had Fleetwood Mac do his campaign song, and jogged to McD's! (Among other things.) So it fits, I think.

more links
 

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=27526

http://smh.com.au/news/world/picture...861350318.html

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...=Entertainment

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1885974

http://www.wodzianski.com/candid%201/AndrewandBill.jpg

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...042401783.html

On some of the links above you can get a closer look at the painting. That's a wonderful portrait.

I don't believe that Simmie Knox was named initially when the Clinton White House portraits were unveiled. Print media picked it up, but the nightly news pieces didn't name the artist then, either. I guess the paintings just spontaneously generate themselves. Immaculate conception.

I don't know, I think Shanks caught our most famous lounge lizard in just the right pose. I always thought, as well as dear Diana, that he was quite dishy. So did the women of the press corps. This revelation just drove my husband nuts!

I do hope that if I were ever to get a presidential commission that it would be the president of Namibia or some such country because a loud and garish costume with a feather or two wouldn't be considered too outre.

You have to wonder about people's reactions to the pose. I watched some of those clips - and I just dont get it. He is just standing there. It is more casual than some, but suggestive? Nutty. :bewildere

At first I cringed on behalf of Shanks and some of the unkindly remarks, but I suppose what they say is true - its all publicity.

Suggestive? Hardly, but I suppose those untalented twits have to find something sexy or an original bon mot (In their mini minds) to say to sell newspapers. The fact that they let their unfiltered thoughts run from their computers like Montezuma's revenge to a fitting receptacle, whose end use is either a trash liner or fish wrapper is somehow poetic justice of a kind.

"unfiltered thoughts" = the perfect phrase
 

I was just about to comment on Kim's remarks but Sharon said it far more eloquently that I would have. "UNFILTERED THOUGHTS" is the perfect phrase. I strongly suspect that ANY pose other than that early American famous painting of the couple in front of their barn with pitchfork in hand - face squared to the audience and grimly set mouth would have evoked the same remark. Had the former president not had several well-publicized adventures, the image probably wouldn't have been projected onto the portrait. I even suspect that if the press hadn't seen the portrait, the remarks would have been written the same.

To add to the silly comments, last night it was reported that Bill's wedding band was absent from his left hand and quoted Shanks as saying he felt it wasn't important.

I was glad that at least the artists name was mentioned but wouldn't you know it was only in relationship to the wedding band.

News mediums are like great dragons that need to be fed 24 hours a day. Quantity not quality.

This is off the track of this portrait, but it is a presidential reference.

A schoolmate of mine, a Yalie, and a member of the Yale club has already done the big Texan (Bush) for the aforementioned club. Hmmm---I wonder who will get THAT presidential commission?

By the bye, the Biggie Texan is really a Yankee. His grandfather was Prescott Bush, a former governor of Connecticut. I have related this to some Texans I know and they refuse to believe me.