The artist who painted Bill Clinton 's portrait for the National Gallery claims that there 's more to the painting than meets the eye . Pennsylvania artist Nelson Shanks said that he slipped a Monica Lewinsky reference into the full-body portrait because the scandal was something he could never get 'completely out of his mind ' . The painter said that the reference to former President Clinton 's affair with the former White House intern was in the shadows of the painting , in the form of her infamous blue dress . Presidential : The full-body painting of Bill Clinton debuted in the National Portrait Gallery in 2006 ( pictured above ) . The painter of the portrait , Nelson Shanks , has said that the dark space under the mantle represents the scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky which cast a shadow over Clinton 's time in office . Scandal : Circled on the left , there 's a shadow under the mantle that 's in the silhouette of a dress . The portrait caused a stir at the time it was debuted as well , because it as though Clinton is not wearing a wedding band . 'If you look at the left-hand side of it there 's a mantle in the Oval Office and I put a shadow coming into the painting and it does two things , ' Shanks told Philly.com . Shadow : Lewinsky 's infamous blue dress that she claimed held DNA evidence of their affair . He added : 'It actually literally represents a shadow from a blue dress that I had on a mannequin , that I had there while I was painting it , but not when he was there . 'It is also a bit of a metaphor in that it represents a shadow on the office he held , or on him . ' Shanks , who 's painted portraits of Princess Diana and Pope John Paul II , also said that Clinton was the 'most famous liar of all time ' . The portrait caused controversy when it first was revealed in 2006 because it looks like Clinton is not wearing a wedding band , according to the New York Daily News . And according to Shanks , the Clintons 'hate the portrait ' and are 'putting a lot of pressure ' on the National Portrait Gallery to remove it . But a spokeswoman for the gallery has denied those accusations . When the painting was first debuted in 2006 , it seemed as though Bill Clinton was quite pleased . ' I think the painting really feels like Bill Clinton , ' he said then , according to the Washington Post . 'It has - I would not call it swagger ... What ? An informality ? A looseness , a relaxed nature . ' Shanks 's most famous works include Princess Diana , Margaret Thatcher , Ronald Reagan and Luciano Pavarotti . His works spanned political and religious leaders , musicians and composers , actors and more . Controversy : Shanks ( right ) claims that he could never get Bill Clinton 's controversy with Monica Lewinsky ( left ) 'completely out of his mind ' , especially when he was creating the portrait . He is a realist whose keen observation skills can be seen in his paintings that have an acute sense of detail , with wrinkles on hands and creases in pants . In 2009 the artist was awarded the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Portrait Society of America , while in 2011 he was voted an honorary member into the Russian Academy for his works of art . Shanks said because of the Lewinsky controversy , Clinton was the hardest person for him to paint . Lewinsky , who was 22 when she started interning at the White House claimed to have sexual relations with Clinton nine times between 1995 and 1997 . Clinton initially swore under oath that he ‘ did not have sexual relations ’ with Lewinsky but later admitted that he had misled the American public . Clinton famously said he 'did not have sexual relations ' with Lewinsky when she claimed they had had relations nine times between 1995 and 1997 . Lewinsky revealed her relationship with the president involved oral sex but not sexual intercourse . She famously kept a blue dress which she claimed held DNA evidence of their affair . In late July , 1998 , Monica had to turn a dress over to Kenneth Starr 's investigators after signing an immunity agreement . A blood sample was taken from Clinton on August 3 , and on August 17 , the FBI reported its conclusion that Clinton was the source of the semen on the dress 'to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty . ' Clinton , however , was found not guilty and though he was impeached , he remained in office . And with speculations that Clinton 's wife , Hillary Rodham Clinton , might launch her 2016 presidential bid in April , Bill Clinton could be back in office within two years .
Painter Nelson Shanks claims he put shadow of a dress in Clinton 's portrait . He said it represent Monica Lewinsky 's infamous blue dress and the cloud the scandal cast on Clinton 's time in office . The painting first debuted in the National Portrait Gallery in 2006 . It caused controversy at the time because it looks like Clinton 's not wearing a wedding band in the painting . Shanks claims that Clinton family 'hates the portrait ' and wants it removed .