Sunday, May 13, 2007

Artful Campaigning

The Smoking Gun this week posted the following item:

When Barack Obama arrived this week for a campaign fundraiser at a Virginia art gallery, one large painting was covered by a curtain and another had been removed entirely before the Democrat's arrival. Obama's staff apparently was concerned that the paintings--both by artist Jamie Boling--would somehow embarrass the Illinois senator, who spoke Tuesday night to a crowd of 500 supporters at Richmond's Plant Zero gallery. One of the paintings, a 6' x 10' work titled "Snake Charmer," is a reproduction of the famous paparazzi photo showing Britney Spears, sans underwear, stepping out of an automobile driven by Paris Hilton. The 33-year-old Boling's oil painting can be seen below. The second work, "Honest Abe," shows a woman wearing a t-shirt with the words "Kill Lincoln." Fans of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" will recall characters from the 1982 movie wearing a t-shirt with the same slogan (though it referred to a rival high school, not the 16th president)


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