Shanks revealed in an interview that he cleverly included a shadow falling over the fireplace mantle, next to which Clinton is painted standing. The shadow is of a blue dress on a mannequin that was there while the painter completed his painting, though not while Clinton was in office. The shadow is Shanks’ attempt to incorporate the historic Monica Lewinsky scandal, the White House intern with whom Clinton had had a sexual relationship.
Lewinski wore a blue dress during an encounter with Clinton in 1997, on which his DNA was later found on a stain on the dress.
According to Shanks, Clinton was his hardest portrait assignment because “he is probably the most famous liar of all time.” “He and his administration did some very good things, of course,” Shanks said, “but I could never get this Monica thing completely out of my mind, and it is subtly incorporated in the painting.”
What’s more, Clinton isn’t wearing his wedding ring either, though the artist claims this was an omission he made by mistake. As for the shadow, the artist said, “It’s an extra little kick going on in the painting. It was a bit humorous, but there was also a sort of authenticity to it. To do a Pollyanna, basically meaningless, symbolically neutral painting of somebody that has had a powerful influence on society is really copping out.”
According to the artists, “the Clintons hate the portrait. They want it removed from the National Portrait Gallery. They’re putting a lot of pressure on them.” However, the National Portrait Gallery denied the claim. The painting is currently in storage, having been removed from display in 2009, after a period of three years on display. However, the gallery said that it was quite common to rotate paintings in and out of the gallery.
