Trump portrait aggravates art controversy in Colorado Capitol

Over the past few days, controversy has surrounded the portrait of President Donald Trump displayed in the Colorado State Capitol. The painting has been hanging in the Capitol Rotunda since its unveiling in August 2019. Recently, Trump has publicly criticized the portrait. According to several media outlets, he has described it as “purposefully distorted” and stated that he would rather not have one at all.

Proceeds for the funding of the painting were raised through a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of Colorado Republicans during Trump’s first term. Sarah A. Boardman was chosen to paint Trump’s likeness based on her background as a portrait artist and her ability to create unbiased, nonpartisan images.

In a 2019 interview with The Colorado Times Recorder, Boardman said of her creative process that “When I start to paint a portrait, it is the portrait, likeness, and ‘essence’ of the subject which I strive to portray. Any personal feelings about any subject are not relevant and are left outside the studio per my training to ‘leave those emotions at the door’.”

The Colorado Springs artist presented the Capitol Building Advisory Committee with two sketches and four photos of Trump, each showcasing different expressions and stylistic features. After reviewing thousands of photographs, Boardman considered her preferred image ideal for its "elevation and gaze," noting it was "neither aloof nor depressed," she stated in an interview with Colorado Public Radio.

“It is direct and shows confidence, courage, and purpose,” Boardman wrote of her preferred image in a memo to the committee, according to The Colorado Times Recorder. “It plays perfectly with the President Obama portrait, which will be next to it–different, but not dramatically.”

New York Magazine stated, "Trump did not explain why he’s raising this issue now. Nor did he provide any evidence that people have complained about the painting, or that the artist, Sarah Boardman, ‘purposely distorted’ his image.”

OnMonday, March 24, the legislature's Executive Committee, which includes leaders from both parties, ordered staff to remove the portrait from the Capitol gallery and store it securely until further notice. Democratic House leaders stated that they took this action at the request of their Republican colleagues. In a statement, Colorado Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen refrained from commenting on the president's critique, but explained that the portrait was being removed to be replaced by one showing a "contemporary likeness" of the president. Lundeen noted that this decision followed the precedent set by Grover Cleveland, the only other president to serve nonconsecutive terms, who is represented in the gallery by a single portrait from his second term.

The way public figures are represented in art sparks ongoing discussions about bias, legacy, and the values artists have chosen to highlight. How history should be portrayed remains up for debate and interpretation.