‘Truth’ Painting Portrays President Obama As Crucified Christ On Presidential Seal
Boston, MA – Jamie Foxx got in trouble with conservative bloggers for calling President Obama “our lord and savior” Sunday, but another portrayal of the 44th president pushed the religious imagery a step further and is sure to offend many in the Christian demographic.
A painting depicting President Obama as Jesus Christ with a crown of thorns on his head, crucified against the presidential seal is currently on display at a community college art gallery in Boston. The painting, titled “Truth,” is featured in a larger exhibit at the Bunker Hill Community College Art Gallery titled “Artists on the Stump – the Road to the White House 2012.”
The artist, Michael D’Antuono, mocked his critics, arguing that his “First Amendment rights should override someone’s hurt feelings.”
“We should celebrate the fact that we live in a country where we are given the freedom to express ourselves,” he said.
D’Antuono also criticized conservative media for “trying to promote the idea that liberals believe the president to literally be our savior.”
“The crucifixion of the president was meant metaphorically…My intent was not to compare him to Jesus,” he added.
The controversial painting will remain on display until December 15, reports Fox News Radio.
The artist says that he has received over 4,000 emails in response to his painting, which he describes as “anything but Christian-like.”
“But I accepted that it is their right to express themselves and hope that they now see it in their hearts to afford me the same right,” he said.
Though D’Antuono makes a valid point regarding his First Amendment rights, and we’re taking his stated goal of political metaphor at face value, it continues to amaze me that some artists choose to hide behind the Bill of Rights and exploit it for exposure. All at the expense of taste, no less.
Here’s a photo of the controversial painting, which literally depicts President Obama as the crucified Christ. What do you think?
