Posted on 01/12/2026 10:13:09 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
Bush’s second term in office ended in 2009, and he took up painting early on in his retirement, essaying his interest in portraiture with his depictions of world leaders. He then turned to his attention to war veterans.
These newer portraits are thickly painted in the loose, vivid style Bush has developed since his early experiments with a more photorealistic technique. They were first shown at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, in 2017. A book of the paintings, accompanied by the stories of the 98 men and women portrayed – their injuries, recoveries and lives afterward – became a New York Times bestseller…
Some critics, such as the New Yorker’s Peter Schjeldahl, have described “Portraits of Courage” as an attempt at “atonement” – the erstwhile commander-in-chief, humbly paying his respects to ordinary soldiers by immortalizing them in paint.
However in 2013, when asked about his recovering approval rating among Americans, Bush told CNN that “ultimately history will judge” his decisions. “And so I’m pretty comfortable with it,” he continued. “I did what I did. I know the spirit in which I did it.”
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
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I like his paintings lot better than mine
:)
I’ve come to see his Presidency as a neocon expansion of war and waste of American servicemen’s lives.
He’s no Hunter Biden. Works of his sell for over $50K.
JJ Wigglesworth at the Clown New Network must be having a slow year so far. “Innocense” my ass. The Congress varmints have turned America into a sewer that rains “F” BOMBS, throws Molotov Cocktails, and attacks and injures U.S. Government employees while electing murderers who want to kill their political opponents and kill their children and elect the ignorant foreign SOB freeloaders to Congress.
Whenever the topic is W, in the present tense, I always get the impression there is a great deal he, the former president is not saying to the general public, and may not ever feel free enough to express. I don’t know what it could be. Maybe just a matter of professional pride, where he doesn’t want to question anything he decided for the nation during his two terms.
Separate from that, I have wondered, does former First Lady Laura Bush socialize very much with anyone? A First Lady has very few peers. I doubt if it would be with Melania.
**Many Americans remain upset with W. due to deeds done or left undone. I still work at forgiving him for opening the borders as he did (DACA), but in regard to his art, it’s not spectacular, but it’s rather nice to look at. Appearing to be far more authentic (less AI produced) than any work from the Hunter Biden collection.
Bush’s support for open borders is what sealed my anger and contempt for him.
W………WUSS.
My guess is that she would hang out with old friends from Highland Park UMC and other folks from HP and Preston Hollow.
So have I.
👍👍
👍👍
To be honest. I enjoy that style of art. Would I pay 500,000 bucks for one? No. But we all know it was a money laundering operation. I do hope Hunter gets his soul right with God and finds healing and recovery from being raised by an absolutely horrible human being. None of us are beyond redemption.
Flame away.
“Bush’s support for open borders is what sealed my anger and contempt for him.”
Ditto.
I knew General Garner when he was a Battalion Commander in Germany: even keeled, professional, completely respected and admired by his officers and soldiers. The job would have been handled in the minimum amount of time and cost. Instead, the operation dragged on and ultimately cost many of our soldiers lives.
Bush had a historic opportunity in the wake of 9/11 to take real action on the open borders, and totally fumbled it away.
I concluded he never had any interest in doing that. He didn’t fumble it away, in my opinion.
He outright rejected it.
That is a terrible story, your perspective on that.
Sounds like a stand-up guy...treated terribly, and we had increased casualties as a result.
Very disillusioning.
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