When a hidden talent becomes an art exhibit visiting the Kennedy Center
(You might recognize the artist.)
Coming out of the festival to celebrate its first-ever expansion, the Kennedy Center will celebrate another first when it welcomes the Washington, D.C. premiere of Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors to Studio K this fall.
The artist behind the 66 oil paintings and four-panel mural discovered his talent later in life, and after a long career outside of the art world. He served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009.
When President George W. Bush left office, he returned to his family ranch in Texas, and, among other activities, founded the George W. Bush Institute along with his wife Mrs. Laura Bush to continue working on policy issues, wrote two bestselling books, and still found time for a hobby.
His wife introduced him to his first art instructor, Texas artist Gail Norfleet. The President told Norfleet, “There’s a Rembrandt trapped inside this body. Your job is to release it.” He practiced his technique by painting his family, dogs, ranch, and other world leaders.
“There’s a Rembrandt trapped inside this body. Your job is to release it.” — President George W. Bush
Fellow painter Sedrick Huckaby, who also became a mentor for the budding artist, said, “I had known about his series of world leaders, and I asked him about painting the people that nobody knows…the moment I said it, [President Bush] said ‘the veterans’…he started immediately.” Huckaby noted that Bush was equally passionate about hearing and capturing the veterans’ stories as he was about the craft. “Content and form come together equally,” said Huckaby, whose artistic style undoubtedly influenced the president’s. Portraits of Courage made its debut at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in 2017 after two years in the making.
One veteran is the subject of two portraits. President Bush originally portrayed a “darker” version of Major Chris Turner after listening to his struggles with life after war and memories of violence. Turner eventually sought treatment and learned how to cope with his experiences in a constructive way. He wrote letters to the president expressing his new, more positive outlook on life. The second version shows Turner in a brighter space, and as Turner sees it, wearing a genuine smile instead of a fake one. President Bush reflected on his process, “Turner changed, and I changed. His outlook changed a lot, and I changed as an artist.”
While seated next to President Bush at the first W100K mountain bike ride event, First Lieutenant Melissa Stockwell made sure not to miss the opportunity to lean over and ask “Mr. President, do you wanna dance?” Stockwell says she was thrilled to see this joyous moment later captured in the Portraits of Courage series. After becoming the first woman to lose a limb in the War on Terror, it may be surprising to know that she considers herself “one of the lucky ones.” Just a few weeks into her first deployment to Iraq, Stockwell’s convoy was hit with an IED. That day she lost her leg, but she refused to lose her will to fight. With her American flag painted prosthetic leg and her amazing resilience, Stockwell has become an awarding winning triathlete, a symbol of patriotism, and a dance partner to a former president. She believes she has been able to do more with one leg then she would have ever been able to do with two.
With boldly colored contrasting eyes, one of the most striking portraits in the exhibit is of Sergeant First Class Michael Rodriguez. After suffering complications from several concussions, Rodriguez was diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury. After retiring from the Army for medical reasons, Rodriguez felt as though he lost his identity when he could no longer be a Green Beret.
When meeting Rodriguez, President Bush recounts, “Michael started wearing dark sunglasses to deal with light sensitivity even while indoors and after a while only took them off to sleep…His wounds were invisible and he wanted to be invisible too.” Through the support of his family and veteran peer-to-peer support groups, like the W100K ride, Rodriguez has found more positive ways to cope with his trauma. In an interview with President Bush, he says the hardest thing he has had to fight was PTS and he faces and fights it every day. With his wife and fellow veteran Sergeant First Class Kelly Rodriguez, he has been reaching out to others to encourage them to seek help instead of suffering in silence.
Like other artists who decide to specialize in portraits, Bush was met with the challenge of not only representing the physical likeness of their sitters but also their personalities and character.
President Bush created the portraits in this exhibition from photographs of the wounded warriors. Like other artists who decide to specialize in portraits, he was met with the challenge of not only representing the physical likeness of their sitters but also their personalities and character. Building off of the basic elements of art, he has developed a signature artistic style that includes thick painterly application of intense color and expressive, slightly abstract depictions of his subject.
Portraits of Courage is a free exhibit, but you will need a timed pass to enter, regardless of age. Check availability for October 7 — November 15 now!
Images and videos provided courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
Boeing is the presenting sponsor of Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.
