Senate shows its heart by honoring surgeon-turned-senator Bill Frist

Following several rounds of applause, the retired senator’s portrait was unveiled at the Capitol on March 2 before friends and colleagues, including former President George W. Bush, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

{mosads}During the ceremony, Bush good-naturedly ribbed his friend, saying, “I can assure you, Bill, that we are delighted to be here to watch you hang.”

And hang he did, with Frist’s portrait taking its new semi-permanent place in the Senate Chamber Lobby later that evening. Completed last year by artist Michael Shane Neal, the oil painting portrays the politician standing with one hand in his pocket and the other arm draped over an antique marble mantle.

According to Senate Curator Diane Skvarla, the pose was chosen because the senator liked the relaxed, approachable feel, and also because of input from his wife.

“Mrs. Frist, I know, was very interested in making sure that you could see his hands,” Skvarla said. “She said she really loved his hands, and as a surgeon, his hands were so important to him.”

Karyn Frist also weighed in on the senator’s much-debated attire for the portrait — a navy double-breasted suit and red tie, Skvarla said. Set in the senator’s leadership office, the portrait depicts Frist next to a 19th century gilded mirror and a marble mantle from the 1820s that he reportedly liked so much he had it reproduced for his home in Tennessee.

One thing that is decidedly less formal about the portrait, however, is the open expression on the senator’s face, just shy of a smile.

“I think what Sen. Frist and the artist were trying on this was [that] they wanted to have you have one look and see it’s somebody who is serious, compassionate, sort of open and accessible,” Skvarla said.

Elected to the Senate in 1994, Frist served as majority leader from 2003 until he retired in 2007. He began working with Neal for a private portrait before he left public office. His sittings for Neal continued once his official portrait was commissioned in 2008, allowing for the Nashville, Tenn.-based artist to view him both in and out of public life.

Skvarla said Neal saw a change in the senator once he retired.

“[Neal] said, in fact, during the first couple sittings, the senator had his phone permanently to his ear — talking,” Skvarla said. “He was negotiating and talking to the president and doing all sorts of things. And then later, once he was a private citizen, [Neal] said he came and just seemed a lot more relaxed.”

Though retired from politics, Frist’s hands will likely remain busy as he sits on the board of several charities and foundations, focusing on domestic healthcare reform and global health policy.