Scott Walker, the Republican governor of Wisconsin, assumed office in January and has quickly become a controversial figure for his policies on unions and education. In his short time in office, he has pushed through deep cuts to public schools and stricter collective bargaining rules, arguing they are necessary to close a serious budget gap.

In so doing, he has earned the praise of conservatives around the country, including Sarah Palin, who has rallied in support of the governor. Walker's detractors have launched a recall initiative and set up a pseudo-shantytown in the capital of Madison to protest his policies.

This week, Walker has found himself in the spotlight for a different matter: the decision to remove a painting from his official residence. The painting, by artist David Lenz, depicts three children of different races at play on a snowy sidewalk and was installed in November, before Walker took office.

The painting's removal was reported recently in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. The oil painting, which stands 40 inches by 50 inches, hung above the fireplace mantel in the governor's mansion. It has been replaced by a painting of the bald eagle named Old Abe, a Wisconsin military mascot during the Civil War.

Lenz said his painting, titled "Wishes in the Wind," was not meant to be controversial. "I tried to walk a tightrope politically," the artist said in a phone interview from Shorewood, Wis. "I didn't want it to be political. I wanted it to be about children and issues."