Barry Blitt Defends His New Yorker Cover Art Of Obama

Barry Blitt is the artist behind this week's very controversial New Yorker cover of Barack and Michelle Obama. Via email, I asked him to respond to those who feel that his work was offensive, and to explain his own personal feelings about the Obamas. Here's what he wrote:

I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic [let alone as terrorists] in certain sectors is preposterous. It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is.

And in retrospect, given the outcry, is he glad he made the art?

"Retrospect? Outcry?" he wrote. "The magazine just came out ten minutes ago, at least give me a few days to decide whether to regret it or not..."

Rachel Sklar has much more.

Update: Three of Blitt's previous cover pieces are below. Note the Ahmadinejad bathroom shot, probably the most provocative recent New Yorker cover prior to the current one.

Comments

[Phaedrus21]

Let the New Yorker know what you think:

http://www.newyorker.com/contact/WebComments

[nellie]

This artist has been used.

Imagine a New Yorker cover of the 2000 Republican nominee as a coke-snorting, AWOL, cheerleader. Personally, I don't see it happening. I don't see a cover of McCain as a doddering old fool happening either. Of course, those two covers would have more truth in them than this.

You've been used, Mr. Blitt.

[CalexenderJ]

Hey Barry, you're not helping. I believe that your heart was in the right place, but you misjudged the situation. These smears ARE ridiculous, they are so ridiculous that it shouldn't take a satiric cover to point that out, but the fact they defy logic and persist indicates that when people see this cover, if they don't already realize how faulty such thinking is, it will just reinforce their beliefs. Since the cat is already out of the bag, I hope you're working on a similarly veined John McCain cover that "mocks the people who believe he's too old and senile"

[adzeman]

Fortunately, the three hundred or so subscribers are all Obama supporters.

[renoir]

make that one million subscribers. and hundreds of thousands newsstand buyers. and yes, i'm guessing that at this point most of us support obama since most of us have been informed, educated and enlightened by the new yorker magazine!

[Beaucat]

The people who will appreciate the cartoon for its intended joke could fit into the combined capacities of Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium and probably still have room for latecomers. The rest of the world -- the world that lives west of Saul Steinberg's Hudson River, if anyone remembers that New Yorker cover from years ago -- will see it as a nasty dig at Obama. And it will be used against him from now until November 5.

Sometimes the New Yorker is spot on with its incisive wit. Sometimes they are astonishingly provincial and clueless about what's going on in the real world and how things are perceived outside their precious little circle. I understand the intent of the cartoon. But I also think it's about as stupid a thing as you could do in an election year unless you're trying to influence the outcome.

Sniffing idiots.

[frankobeans]

that cover is genius. if you are against it it only means you are afraid of what you think it will do to obama's image to people who don't understand it, but i bet you will deny why

[jupitor]

This article is just as good as useing the "N" word and calling the Obama's Terrorist Islamist nuts! it's a disgrace to what America stands for! I will never pick up this magazine before. It has hit a sore note with me before on some of it's article,art! But, this is the finall straw.l It has nothing to offer the American readers any more. shame on you all! I'm a republican who is voteing demacrate this year for darn good reason, and now it cements my reason for the change.

[GLaB]

"I will never pick up this magazine before."

Freud is rolling on the floor laughing.

[bujeeboo]

Blitt, I'm not happy with you.

[TuffPosh]

It's a chintzy cover because it's just a one-dimensional, smug joke that fails to take into account legitimate concerns about BHO's commitment to the U.S. I question BHO's patriotism not because of smears, but because of documented things he's said and done, such as this:

http://nomoreblather.com/barack-obama-and-the-immigration-marches

[samweb]

Unfortunately, the artist did not succeed in his goals and the satire may be lost to some. There is too much at stake to take this risk. He should apologize if he has offended anyone, because he has.