Gubernatorial portrait of Jerry Brown

The painting commemorated American politician Jerry Brown's first two terms as Governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and has remained controversial since its unveiling.

[1] The unfinished look of the painting was commented on by Bachardy himself—he said that it stemmed from his difficulty in "capturing" Brown during their five sittings.

"[3] In his journal Stars in My Eyes, Bachardy wrote that he found it difficult working on the portrait because of Brown's "defensiveness" and apparent unease with the project.

It was not until the middle of the fifth and final sitting that Bachardy told Brown how difficult his restlessness was making the work.

[5] California legislators described the portrait as looking like "spilled ketchup and soy sauce", referring to Bachardy's use of broad brush strokes for Brown's orange and red skin tones.