So Jonathan Jones of the UK Guardian is grinding his teeth over the fact that George W Bush not only somehow continues to not be whipped through the streets, but that the former president is apparently happily painting pictures of perhaps limited technical skill, but remarkable emotional resonance. To wit: the paintings show a remarkable ability to infuriate Jonathan Jones, who like most critical bullies is visibly at a loss on how to react to artists who legitimately do not have to give a sh*t about what critics say about their art. Equally amusing is that Jones has clearly not yet come to terms with the aggravating detail that GWB, thanks to his previous career, is likely to eclipse the name of Jonathan Jones in posterity as it applies to the art world. I presume that this particularly grates on the man, given that from the outside it appears that Jonathan Jones himself would have rather liked to have been an artist.
In other words… it’s awful of me to say this in regard to a man’s hidden pain and feelings of inadequacy, but in the words of Jones’ fellow-Brit Spike (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame): “Well, this is just… neat.”
Via
Stay gold, Guardian http://t.co/HTE7VS6JYa
— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) April 4, 2014
Moe Lane
PS: Oh, come now. We’ve known for some time that I am a horrible person.
PPS: As to the paintings themselves: they’re very much beginner’s work, and although GWB’s technique has improved I don’t know whether he’ll ever make it to even journeyman level. But as performance art it’s exquisite.
One slight correction to the Guardian piece. The man responsible for the 2003 invasion of Iraq was Saddam Hussain.
I find it amusing how Bush Derangement Syndrome is still a thing.
I just find it to be sad, that people are so shallow they can’t admit that they may have been wrong about something.
Jethro Tull had an interesting take on Jonathan Jones in the first verse of “Aqualung”, and an interesting take on what will happen after his passing in the last.
Yes, Jonathan, the flowers will bloom like mad in the spring.
I had a boss in the construction industry once (helluva great guy, a SF hippie) who had a saying “Those who can, do: Those who can’t, inspect“. And a critic is a sort of inspector, I would say….
I find it interesting that there’s no place for anyone to post a comment. It seems as though Jones really is howling into the void.
Meh — it’s the Grauniad. To treat this opinion piece with contempt would require taking it seriously, and that’s not worth any time or effort.