Former President Bill Clinton did some great things while in office, but it is sad to say that he will be well-remembered for his affair with his intern Monica Lewinsky. So much, even his artist couldn’t help but to think about it while painting.
Nelson Shanks, the 77 year old artist who painted the 2006 official portrait of Clinton that is now hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in D.C., revealed a hidden secret in painting.
On the painting, you can see a shadow underneath the plant sitting on the wall. The Shadow is a subtle reference to the famous blue dress Monica Lewinsky wore that became crucial evidences in the case…and also made one of Beyoncé‘s line in “Partition” famous. Shanks spilled his own beans to Philadelphia Daily about the hidden gem in his painting that put a big stain on the former president’s legacy:
“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.”
He continued:
“The reality is he’s probably the most famous liar of all time. He and his administration did some very good things, of course, but I could never get this Monica thing completely out of my mind and it is subtly incorporated in the painting.”
Shanks claims that Clinton doesn’t like the portrait and wants it taken out of the National Portrait Gallery. Although, sources from the gallery say that those allegations are not true. Well if it wasn’t true then, it’s definitely true now. Tough nut, Clinton.
