Proto-Realism (15th-17th centuries) Two aspects of realism were rooted in at least two centuries of Dutch tradition: conspicuous textural imitation and a penchant for ordinary and exaggeratedly comic scenes…. Surrealism: “The strategy was not to make Surreal objects for the sake of shocking the middle class a la Dada but to make objects “surreal” by what he called dépayesment or estrangement. The goal was the displacement of the object, removing it from its expected context, “defamilarizing” it.”
Republican fantasy portraits signify the surrealism of the current WH situation. This one, caught during the CBS interview with Lord Dampnut for 60 Minutes, is much like other Trump portraits and are simply part of the con, remembering how he used Trump Foundation money to buy some. A gift from Darrell (or his other brother Darryl) Issa, Trump claims to like it. More interesting is that even Warren G. Harding, contender for worst POTUS, appears in this updated dogs-playing-poker genre painting.
As you can see, the painting depicts Trump laughing alongside a slew of former Republican presidents. Trump seems to be enjoying his favorite Coke, while Abraham Lincoln has a glass of water, a beverage chronologically suited to his mid-1800s presidency. Ulysses S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, and even thenot-so-popularHerbert Hoover are lurking in the background, as is amysterious female figure.
These artistic choices are all the work of the seemingly bipartisan Andy Thomas, who has alsodepicted Democratic presidentsplaying poker. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) gave this painting to Trump, and the president called the artist to seemingly compliment the work, saying “he’d seen a lot ofpaintings of himselfand he rarely liked them,” ThomastoldThe Daily Beast.
Trump’s taste in art befits his bridge and tunnel taste. For him art is based on perceived status value and its subject matter invariably decorative or self-glorifying.
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My new painting – “Crossing the Swamp†“Never give up. Never lower your light. Never stop till the swamp is dry.†– Jon McNaughton For a list of figures in the boat: https://t.co/ZIPdkBgcFUpic.twitter.com/CTPndvK5LM
— Jon McNaughton (@McNaughtonArt) July 31, 2018
The hagiographic painting, titled Respect the Flag, shows Trump in the middle of a football field, cradling a tattered American flag as he attempts to clean it. It is equal parts lionization of the president and critique of the protests of a number of African-American NFL players, who took to kneeling during the National Anthem as a way of speaking out against police violence inflicted on minorities. Twitter users were quick to point out that the NFL protests were not directed at the flag, and had never damaged the Stars and Stripes. They also lambasted McNaughton’s likeness of Trump, with Twitter user @hello_caitlin retitling it “Bewildered Old Man Wanders on to a Football Field Carrying His Blanket.” Splinter News astutely observed that McNaughton is “a kind of right-wing Norman Rockwell for people who think Obama is secretly Muslim.” Twitter user @sadhourglass blasted the artist and the “poorly executed” canvas for “attempting to combine photorealism and Impressionism like a bastardization of Thomas Kinkade.” “This is obviously a Hobby Lobby exclusive paint-by-numbers production,” added Susie Hopper, name-dropping the archconservative arts and craft store. Twitter’s @SimonSaysBooHoo found that “it’s lacking realness. Needs more orange tint,” while @sploosk insisted that “I won’t respect it until the artist cuts his own ear off like Van Gogh. Please notify him of this challenge.” news.artnet.com/…
You may know McNaughton as the artist of “Expose the Truth,” which features Trump grabbing Special Counsel Robert Mueller by the tie and peering at his nose through a magnifying glass. Or perhaps you’ve seen McNaughton’s “The Forgotten Man,” in which James Madison gapes at former President Barack Obama for stepping on the Constitution.Sean Hannityhas that one hanging in his home.
“Sep 14, 2016 ·In 2007, DonaldTrumpspent $ 20,000 that belonged to his charity — the Donald J.TrumpFoundation— to buy a six-foot-tall portrait of himself during a fundraiser auction at his Mar-a-Lago …”
Dalí had no issue participating in commercial work. He designed ads for Gap and even appeared in a commercial for Lanvin chocolates in 1968. In fact, André Breton, the father of Surrealism, gave him the nickname “Avida Dollars” or “eager for dollars.” But one of his most enduring contributions to graphic design is the Chupa Chups logo. Dalí designed the logo for the Spanish lollipop brand in 1969, and it is still used today.
Always up for a prank, some consider Salvador Dalí a bit of a con man. Close friend and muse Amanda Lear recalls how he once duped Yoko Ono, selling her a blade of grass for $ 10,000. Apparently, Ono had asked Dalí to sell him a strand of hair from his infamous mustache. Not one to turn down a check, he got creative.
“Dali thought that Yoko Ono was a witch and might use it in a spell. He didn’t want to send her a personal item, much less one of his hairs,” Learexplained. “So he sent me to the garden to find a dry blade of grass, and sent it off in a nice presentation box. The idiot paid 10,000 dollars for it. It amused him to rip people off.”
