Painting as a Pastime

Winston Churchill, "Winter Sunshine," oil on canvas, 1925

The British politician and statesman Winston Churchill was a passionate and highly skilled amateur painter. Although he didn't discover oil painting until he was middle-aged he spent the remainder of his life making them. There are any number of photos of Mr. Churchill in a long smock painting something outdoors. He even published a small volume, "Painting as a Pastime" in which he outlines his experience, passion, and thoughts about why a person should take up painting. Lest one think he was an amateur dauber, an inspection of only two works is informative.

Winston Churchill, "Loup River, Alpes Maritimes," oil on canvas, 1930

In 1947 he had two works accepted to the Royal Academy summer exhibition that he entered under a pseudonym. One of them was "Winter Sunshine," painted in 1925 when he was already 51 years old. The work is distinctly influenced by the Impressionist movement of his youth--Monet, Sisley, et al. This is accomplished work and by no means amateurish either in composition or palette. The artist has captured the low-angled warmth of winter sun on bricks and snow. It's no surprise that it was accepted. It was only after the jury voted that the actual artist's name was revealed. (The other is "Loup River, Alpes Maritimes," painted in 1930.)

Dwight Eisenhower, "Landscape," oil on canvas, 1950

There are other members of the same club--politicians who took up painting later in life. The list includes Dwight Eisenhower, president during the 1950s, who began painting while Chief of Staff of the Army and whose curiosity is said to have been piqued by watching Thomas Stephens painting a portrait of his wife, Mamie. He was an earnest and committed amateur the rest of his life, mostly making landscapes that are reminiscent of the paintings of Bob Ross. Mr. Eisenhower had no illusions about his ability but loved the activity. He was once quoted as saying to reporter Richard Cohen at a museum exhibition of his work, "They would have burned this [expletive] a long time ago if I weren’t the president of the United States.”

George W. Bush, "Manmohan Singh," oil oi canvas

Another former president, George W. Bush took up painting around 2012 a few years after leaving office and later hosted an exhibition of his works at his presidential library. Mr. Bush seems to be as passionate about his work as Churchill and less sanguine about it than Eisenhower. His paintings are surprisingly eclectic and emotional; they range from a portrait of Saddam Hussein as a clown to a group portrait of wounded soldiers to a portrait of his dog. Mr. Bush's work is heartfelt, it seems, if somewhat untutored and naive (he has had a bit of training) but he continues to work hard and more recent works show advancement in skills. His portraits of veterans are staggeringly more accomplished than his early (or less personally engaged?) works. The occasional piece owes strong homage to Lucien Freud.

George W. Bush, "Lt. Col. Kent Graham Solheim," oil on canvas