"Portrait of George W. Bush: The Global Makeover"
Jerry van Eyk

President Bush insisted that the painting of his official portrait, which would join all the others in Washington's National Portrait Gallery, fully reflect his role as a world leader. He felt that the turban was a necessity in this day and age, and he thought that the yellow facial tinting would make him more approachable to the Eastern hemisphere.

The painter van Eyk was the first Depressionist artist to be given the honor of painting the Presidential portrait, and he made it appropriately dark and somber. The "turban" is actually an old Soviet Union flag, a gift from the President's new best buddy, Vladimir Putin. 

This portrait led to other Capitol Hill work for van Eyk, most notably "Rugless: the True Trent Lott," and "Senator Strom Thurmond as an Advocate Centerfold."