George W. Bush’s Portrait Of John Howard Is A Masterpiece
I think he's found his muse.
Since his US presidency mercifully ended back in 2009, George W. Bush has taken to the arts with the same vibrant enthusiasm he once took to invading Middle Eastern countries in the name of daddy vengeance. After easing into the art world with some pretty adorable dog portraits, he’s now turned his creative attention to the next logical subject: his favourite ex-world leaders.
Dubya’s latest array of works are currently being showcased in The Art Of Leadership: A President’s Personal Diplomacy, an exhibition taking place at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas. Start planning your Dallas trips, guys!
“I’m sure when they heard that I was painting them, they’re going to say, ‘Whoa, I look forward to seeing a stick figure he painted of me’,” Bush told his journalist daughter Jenna in an interview on NBC. “I hope they take it in the spirit in which these were painted, and that was a spirit of friendship, and that I admired them as leaders and was willing to give it a shot in terms of getting people to see how I felt about them.”
Proudly for Australians, among the works is a portrait of former PM John Howard, whose adoring eyes and coy smirk could give Mona Lisa a run for her money.
Powerful tie.
Other works in the exhibition include portraits of Vladimir Putin (“a person who in many ways views the US as an enemy,” said Bush), and a bunch of other old dudes who lack the pout-y sexiness of John Howard.
So much sadness in those lazy eyes.
clockwise: Canadian PM Stephen Harper, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and South Korean president Lee-Myung Bak.
But perhaps the best part of the entire exhibition is the way Howard’s portrait is displayed, appropriately surrounded by leather cowboy boots and an S&M whip. We always knew these guys had a close relationship.
“There’s a Rembrandt trapped in this body. I’m a driven person. I want to get better,” Bush added in the interview, as though he could ever top this masterpiece. The two should get a studio together in Montmarte, and live a life of bohemian happiness. “Paint me like one of your French girls,” Howard would coyly whisper, nakedly draped over a velvet divan.