Sometimes politicians learn to deal with this stuff, and then sometimes the relationships break down.
Last week in Sacramento Arnold Schwarzenegger unveiled his official portrait as 38th Governor of California. Something about it looked a little off. The painting, by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein, featured a great big smudge on Schwarzenegger’s left lapel.
It’s a pretty obvious mark and sort of makes it look like the man had an accident with a wet sandwich before sitting down to have his picture done.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Nope, it was his wife. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times:
When Arnold Schwarzenegger's official portrait was [first] done, there was a personal touch -- he was depicted wearing a lapel pin featuring the face of his wife, Maria Shriver.
“It was actually a cute gesture when he had it done," said Clay Russell, a former Schwarzenegger aide.
But the marriage disintegrated soon after Schwarzenegger left the governor's office in January 2011, prompting a modification in the portrait -- Shriver's face was erased.
Schwarzenegger and his wife filed for divorce in 2011, though disputes about money have apparently keep them from finalizing it.
Portraits of the California governors are of widely diverse artistic quality, and often generate interesting reactions from observers. The official portrait from Gov. Jerry Brown's first time in office, for instance, was said by lawmakers to look like it was painted with “spilled ketchup and soy sauce.”
In the future at least the kids touring the building will have something to remember about the Schwarzenegger picture; that’ll be the governor who turned his wife into a grease stain.
