This painting, I do not think I am understating, is important to President George W. Bush. He even took the painting’s title as the title of his autobiography: “A Charge To Keep”. And… it kinda looks like him. Don’t you think? The real story of the painting, though… well, it’s all right here.
A noble horseman leads a gallant charge–
Full gallop, up a steep and rocky trail
The group he leads is small; their courage large,
And heart and God ensure they will prevail.
This painting is a message to us all,
The very spirit of the Lone Star State,
That when our cause is just, we cannot fall–
Serve God, and you need never fear your fate!
Except…the painting here depicts a thief,
Who only narrowly escapes the noose;
The story may be Bush’s true belief,
But his interpretation is… well… loose.
A realistic painting, but at best
For Bush, a diagnostic Rorschach test
Hat tip to Pharyngula…
What? You’re suggesting the artist actually has some say about the meaning of his art?
I know, I know, it is a radical idea. I mean, seriously–who is more qualified to interpret a work of art than the Leader Of The Free World? Hell, he ought to write it into an amendment….