Striding Nude, Blue Dress...The Painting of the Wife of Tony Blair

Striding Nude, Blue Dress is a painting of Tony Blair's wife, Cherie Blair, reports the Daily Mail. The Striding Nude, Blue Dress painting of the wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair, who professionally goes by the name Cherie Booth, was begun over a quarter of a century ago, but has caused lots of controversy and questions ever since.

Striding Nude, Blue Dress was painted by British artist Euan Uglow back when Cherie Blair was reportedly an "unknown trainee barrister in her mid-20s," according to The Australian News.

Cherie Blair earned a small amount of money (£5 an hour for the sittings) modeling for the Striding Nude, Blue Dress, donning the blue sleeveless dress unbuttoned portrayed in the painting. It has been reported that Cherie was made to stand stock still for up to an hour at a time in Euan's ice cold studio in South London as he painted Striding Nude, Blue Dress.

Later, Euan painted another version of Striding Nude, Blue Dress with a different model, which may have led to the confusion that has surrounded the painting for 25 years, with speculation as to whether Striding Nude, Blue Dress was really a rendition of Tony Blair's wife or not.

Yet regarding the 1978 version of Striding Nude, Blue Dress, painted two years before Cheri's marriage to the man who would later become Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Daily Mail reports that Cheri felt "privileged to model for [Euan] and was very proud of the painting."

Prime Minister Tony Blair, however, allegedly has a differing viewpoint of Striding Nude, Blue Dress, and is possibly a bit prudish about the 5-foot tall painting. Other sources report that Tony Blair partially disliked Striding Nude, Blue Dress because it was unfinished.

"[Prime Minister Tony Blair] wasn't pleased with the painting because it wasn't finished," Will Darby, of the Browse and Darby gallery in Mayfair, is quoted as saying. Darby was reportedly Euan's close friend and dealer for 25 years.

"We exhibited it in 1983 alongside the finished one, but after that [Blair] just didn't want to show it," Darby concluded.

After being displayed once, Striding Nude, Blue Dress was hidden under lock and key in a London gallery. Till now, when Striding Nude, Blue Dress has resurfaced, in preparation as part of a display next May in a retrospective of Euan's work arranged by the trustees of his estate.

No. 10 Downing Street has declined to comment so far.