Painting A Picture of Traitors

THE PAINTING had the style of Thomas Hart Benton, but I do not know enough about art to remember what that is called. "Representative realism" let's call it. Why not? Somebody has to invent terms to describe artistic styles, and, hell, I reckon mine's as good as the next art critic's. Anyway, it is a great painting, well done, revealing real talent, in my humble but honest opinion. I may knot know good art from bad, but I know what I like, as the saying goes. What I like is great art, and in my universe, most art qualifies. Again, I consider my opinions as worthy as anybody else's. Truth be told, when I enter an art gallery, any art gallery, from the world renowned to the local high school art room, I seem to always like about ninety nine percent of the hanging paintigs. What that means to me is not that I have no taste, standards, or discrimination, but rather, that I am open minded, appreciative of the attempt represented, and that I am not an art snob, but rather, a happy, appreciative if poorly educated art lover. But, I digress. Back to the painting I mentioned. I confess that I do not recall the artist's name, to my eternal shame, but his name will be known to many, surely it already is, and, in any event,as Casey Stengal once said: "you could look it up." The title is "January Sixth". On the right side of the canvas is a caricature of Donald Trump, the flaming, overwrought ridiculous orange hair, pursed lips, the whole ball of wax,standing on a high place, pointing to the Capitol, directing traffic, the "traffic" being his violent mob. At his feet is a MAGA flag, A MAGA ball cap,and banners of the "Proud Boys", and the Republican party. All the guilty parties represented by banners and flags. To the left and far below is the U.S. Capitol, in the middle of the insurrection, the mob surrounding the building, smashing doors and windows, smoke billowing from within. The painting had been posted on Facebook only a few minutes prior to my seeing it. I could tell because it had not yet been swamped with thousands of comments and likes, which it no doubt soon would, and by now is. I have not been back, but will soon return to the page. I hit the share button over and over again; I lost track of the number of times I shared the beautiful thing. I want the world to see it, and by now, that is happening. On one of my shared copies I wrote: "The traitor,leading his traitorous mob". On another, I typed in: "the traitorous tyrant orchestrates his violent insurrection". I put comments of that nature on what must have been twenty copies. Facebook no longer seems to linit the number of times you can share a post, as it once did. Perhaps popular outrage changed their policy. Yes, we the teeming masses can indeed influence corporate behavior, if only by pitching a collective fit. If justice prevails the original will be displayed at the Louvre, the Met, Chrystal Bridges, and every great art museum in freedom's land (the U.S.), and places all around the globe. What matters to me is that it will be emblazened within my memory and appreciation forever. Conservatives will doubtless call it bad art,claim that the event depicted never happened, or accuse the artist of being in cahoots with Biden and the Democrats. When this begins, all decent patriotic art connoisseurs will have a good laugh, and shake their heads at the idiotic lunacy of those who can't discern great art from garbage, who, not coincidentally, are the same folks who are responsible for the insurrection, and who support the evil tyrant who orchestrated it.