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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 1 March 2017
Bush promotes new book, reflects on painting and the press

HILLEL ITALIE he has befriended. As he
AP National Writer wrote in the introduction to
NEW YORK (AP) — Former “Portraits of Courage,” he
President George W. Bush first thought of taking up
says he didn’t intend to painting when the historian
criticize President Donald John Lewis Gaddis told him
Trump when he said re- in 2012 about an essay by
cently that a free press is Winston Churchill called
essential to democracy “Painting as a Pastime.”
Speaking by telephone Bush, acknowledging that
Tuesday with The Associ- he does get “antsy,” fig-
ated Press, Bush said he ured painting would be
was simply responding to a something he “would ben-
reporter’s question about efit” from.
the role of journalism. The book features 66 por-
Trump has referred to the traits and a four-panel
press as the “enemy of the mural of veterans he has
people,” but Bush said that come to know over the
it’s important to hold those years, with each picture
in power “to account,” accompanied by a brief
adding that power can be essay by Bush.
“very corrupting” and that “Portraits of Courage”
it was dangerous to “fall in is not political, although Former President George W Bush speaks during a preview of an exhibition of his paintings of U.S.
love” with power or fame Bush notes one veteran’s military veterans in Dallas, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017.
or money. story resonates with current Associated Press
He called his own relation- events. media outlet that gained rise. consumed in our art,” he
ship with the media “sym- Juan Carlos Hernandez, a prominence from Trump’s “We sensitive artists are said with a laughq
biotic,” with the media former Army specialist who
needing a story and the lost his leg while serving in
president needing to get Afghanistan, is a Mexican
his message out. immigrant who illegally
“I understood people were crossed the border.
trying to do their job,” he “Surely people will un-
said. derstand that if someone
“There were moments who is not a citizen is will-
when I (was) irritated and ing to serve our country,
wanted to tell so-and-so we would want to call that
that they missed a story. person a citizen,” he said.
But I don’t look back and Once he’s done promot-
say, ‘This was a terrible part ing “Portraits of Courage,”
of my presidency.’” Bush said he looks forward
Bush, 70, is promoting his to resuming a quiet post-
new book, “Portraits of presidential life.
Courage,” a volume of his He said that his parents,
paintings of military veter- former President George
ans. H.W. Bush and former first
The book, officially pub- lady Barbara Bush, are do-
lished Tuesday and No. 1 ing “remarkably well” after
on Amazon.com, arrives at some recent health scares.
a time when Bush — highly He stays in touch with nu-
unpopular when he left of- merous former administra-
fice in 2009 — is enjoying tion officials, from former
favorable attention from Secretary of State Con-
both Democrats and Re- doleezza Rice to former
publicans for views on the Chief of Staff Josh Bolten.
media, immigration and He paints, and he devotes
Muslims that are far more time to the George W.
moderate than those of Bush Presidential Center in
Trump. Dallas.
But the former president, Bush follows current poli-
who refrained from com- tics, but not obsessively,
menting on Democrat saying he likes to get his
Barack Obama’s adminis- news and “move on.” He
tration, said he intends to said he wasn’t sure if he
do the same with fellow would watch Trump’s State
Republican Trump. of the Union address Tues-
“I understand people in- day night, reasoning that
terpreting my remarks,” he could get “plenty of
he says, “and that’s why I information” about it later.
don’t give a lot of remarks.” He also acknowledged
These days, he is happy to that only during the 2016
paint, and to talk about election had he heard of
painting and the veterans Breitbart News, the far-right