A screenshot of one of The Onion’s “Dead Iraqi Child” paintings by George W. Bush. (screenshots by the author for Hyperallergic)
Yes, the world’s favorite satirical site went there, and their latest video takes aim at former US President George W. Bush’s latest hobby, painting. You may know that Bush has already painted dogs, cats, landscapes, and even images of himself in the shower, but, The Onion suggests he is also painting “the ghost of the Iraqi child that follows him everywhere.” Ouch.
A particularly good addition that gives their segment an art world touch is their inclusion of New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz in the caption to the video with a fabricated quote: “This is how Bush sees the world.”
Recently, Saltz has attracted attention for his articles that have both praised and later criticized the former US President for his artistic achievements. We are curious to know what he thinks of this latest series.
We’ve also created screenshots of all nine of the “new” Bush paintings for your careful perusal below. We may have to add these discoveries to the Bush retrospective — the world’s first! — that we gave the President back in March 2013.
Next up, Tony Blair!
Bad news coverage. The seriuosness of the topic was covered in a fun manner
It was news about Bush’s paintings. How do you cover that as a serious thing rather than a puff piece? You don’t. No mainstream news organization would bring up Bush’s deeds when covering his paintings, so it is left to the satire of the Onion to do it.