The world's hottest emerging artist got a burst of high-profile publicity this week thanks to a hacker named Guccifer and some apparent holes in AOL security.
After months of teasing us about his recent painting lessons, George W. Bush unwittingly burst onto the international art scene when The Smoking Gun posted two rather intimate self-portraits culled from Guccifer's stash. A spokesperson with the Secret Service confirmed that an investigation is underway and did not deny the legitimacy of the hacked material.
Thematically, the new crop of the paintings comes as quite the surprise. The first depicts a particularly vulnerable W. as he takes in the shower, his face fully obscured were it not for a shaving mirror. The second portrays another bathing scene that shows only the president's legs and feet in the tub.
While it's nice to see the president take some artistic risks, I was a little disappointed not to get another awesome portrait of former First Dog Barney.
As an fan of the Scottish Terrier — who sadly passed in early February at the age of 12 — I was looking forward to seeing the little dude painted in a number of fun scenarios: Decked out in a holiday sweater, hanging at the pool in sunglasses, playing poker with friends, etc.
Beneath that "I'm gonna dress up my dog" exterior, there's a naked man in his mid-sixties pondering life's great questions.
But maybe we've had W. all wrong.
Beneath that "I'm gonna dress up my dog" exterior, there's a naked man in his mid-sixties pondering some of life's great questions. There's a man trying to scrub away the mistakes and coming to grips with his own mortality and legacy.
Or maybe not.
Click through the slideshow above and be sure not to miss the photo of W. standing next life-sized cutout of himself dressed as either an "artiste" . . . or Saddam Hussein (it's hard to tell).
