Jon McNaughton Painting Shows Crippled Kids, Soldiers With Jesus; Lefty Journalists, Professors With Satan

This is a wild one.

Artist Jon McNaughton of Utah has created a painting inspired by a vision he received during the 2008 elections. The painting -- titled "One Nation Under God" -- depicts Jesus surrounded by characters from American history plus Satan. Some of the characters are actual people (Ronald Reagan, James Madison ) and some are archetypes (handicapped child, liberal news reporter). The "liberal news reporter," along with the professor clutching Darwin's Origin Of Species and the judge weeping over Roe vs. Wade are huddled in the lower right hand corner of the painting, next to Satan. (The pregnant woman is also in Satan's corner.)

See the full painting, with rollover descriptions of the characters here.

(h/t Mother Jones)

Comments

[HannaSchmitz]

I like it and why are you liberals so mean about a painting? Can't people paint what they want in this country? You liberals are worse them fundamentalist or extreme islamist sometimes. Get a grip, it's only a painting.

[CitizenWhig]

A pure 100 on the Unintentional Comedy Scale. An ironic Bravo! to Mr. McNaughton.

[XLintLuvR]

Genious! It shows their ignorance that they'd put Ben Franklin in that portrait........and not realize that he was unapologetically atheist! Man, they couldn't get any dumber if they put Thomas Jefferson in their because he founded the Democratic­/Republica­n party and not realize that at the time they were and still for a strong central government....and kicked the Republican part off the name.

[Josh Seipp]

I'm not sure if this has been posted yet, but here is the Chtulhu version:

http://imgur.com/r4e2C.jpg (quite bloody)

[Buddy McCue]

I first heard about this on The Young Turks (audio version,) and as a fine art painter myself, I was very curious to see the painting.

Yes, the subject matter represents a truly warped view of our country, but I have to say that McNaughton can really paint. Very good technique.

[jaundicedview]

You really think so? His figures are stiff, his composition cluttered, and his paint handling has that nasty licked quality of that "Painter of Light" clown. He would be a good fit for painting "Watchtower" covers, or LOTR fan art. He has facility but no artistry

[Buddy McCue]

His paint handling is far better than Kinkade's, the so-called "Painter of Light" (I'm very familiar with Kinkade's painting style because I reproduced two of his paintings for my mother-in-law last year. VERY easy style to imitate.)

Cluttered compositions aren't necessarily a bad thing; look at Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Netherlandish Proverbs for example.

"Facility but no artistry?" Yeah, I can agree with that. Real artistry is more than being able to handle paint.

[deepintheheartoftejas]

Wow, truly, this art is amazing. It speaks to our culture, our nation, our way of life.

And this link shows all the portions of this magnificent painting explained with easy mouse over action: http://www.shortpacked.com/McNaughton%20Fine%20Art.htm

[blingladen]

It certainly speaks volumes...
http://imgur.com/u4RdI.jpg

[FreshCliches]

Dollars to donuts, the artist's first gallery will be in Branson, Missouri.

[Rog49Thomas]

I've always been told that that one of the things all Christian sects agreed on was that Jesus was born a Jew about 2000 years ago.

At that time in that part of the world, the average height was probably 5'2'' to 5'4''. Blonds were a distinct rarity among the Semites of that day.

Yet, every representation I've seen has Him as a 6 foot tall blond Ayran.

Why is that?

[JohnFromCensornati]

He's not blond in this whatever-it-is, but to answer your question, it's because he's fictional. You can go anywhere with that.

[wltdnfaded]

ROFLMAO!!! Thanks for the laugh, I needed it.

[Kalyan]

Aryan is differnent from European. What you meant was European. The difference between an Aryan and an European is that an Aryan has a pale yellow skin color. The major psychological difference is that the Aryans who are the product of the fusion of a Sanskrit speaking race and a Tamil speaking race never annhilated any of their contemporary civilizati­on/culture unlike the Europeans who merely savaged and ravaged wherever they laid their foot.

[dutt]

Having spent the last 5 years in Utah, I can tell you that this kind of kitsch art is really popular among the local populace.

[Idnor]

The painter is a Mormon. Interestingly, he does not put in any of the Mormon greats: Joseph's Myth or Bring'em Young.

[The Professor]

I'm not sure I see anything wrong with the painting. It's not like it's an image of excrement in a glass with JC or something. Maybe it wasn't commissioned with NEA (education or arts, your choice) dollars?

[joanrimart]

me neither, yet there is more intelligence and art in a jar filled with urine than in the painting. At least the crucifix inside the jar is original...

[Indy 44]

"Intelligence" a criterion of art? Since when?

And sorry, but shock value (a crucifix in urine) is just boring.

Artists have gotten away with too much c r . a p for too long.

[jaundicedview]

Crazy nutball propaganda aside, that is one fugly painting!

[tbonehead]

Thank God, Jesus is not A Christian. Thank God!!! Jefferson left his slaves at home!!! How christian of him.

[AynSpandex]

"HOPEFULLY,

it will never happen again."

Didn't think anyone would catch that one, would you?
(goes & vomits)

[Cunningham]

This is a MUCH better version of the painting. Roll over the images for a truer description.

http://www.shortpacked.com/McNaughton%20Fine%20Art.htm

[DressEyebrows]

SO GOOD, thanks for posting this link.

[Cunningham]

You're most welcome. Another HuffPoster put it up last night... it's a keeper. :-)

[Hapakanaka]

That was hilarious!

[LaLaverne]

ohh snap! hilarious!

[Earl Brown]

this kind of stuff makes me really really wish I could afford to go to college so I could study psychology. I think the human mind is a fantasically amazing thing, especially when the human is about as batty as anything. But my family is poor and so am I so I cant afford college :(

[ForVivi]

Sounds to me like you already know what's important. College is not all it is cracked up to be. You can study on your own and achieve your goals.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Buy your own books Earl. You won't get a degree, but you'll learn what you want to know.

[Earl Brown]

thanks for that, I actually have begun to do that I guess. I just bought the Bedside Baccalaureate Semesters 1 & 2 haha. Unfortunatly, I am only 21 years old, unemployed, and I only have a GED. I would bet serious money that given the opportunity for education I would sail past most all of my peers who take that for granted. However, thirst for education doesnt get you one in the good ol' U.S. I had worked my way up to management level in the retail car business but with the crash I dont even have that anymore. Looks like Im destined for service jobs.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Don't get involved in the rat race. Do what makes you happy and don't go into debt. That's how the corporations ensl@ve people. You are still very young.

[SuperFunTime]

Cry me a river. I live in the US and just got out of college. I paid for it myself. I worked full time and lived in a dump, but I did it. Quit whining and sign up for night school at a junior college. It's not very expensive, and if you really would "sail past" your peers then you'll get scholarships in no time. If you're really unemployed and 21 then you for sure qualify for grants. Even if you didn't, there's always loans. Get over your sense of entitlement and go get your education, but don't expect that it will exempt you from service jobs. College graduates have the same unemployment rate as high school grads these days.

[barkrudedog69]

If you are poor.....

go apply for government assistance.

education is just a few actions away.

[GrainOSand]

"About $30 billion in new funds would flow to students and their families in 2009 and 2010, about $17 billion in the form of increased Pell Grants and $13 billion in expanded higher education tax credits that would, for the first time, be available to some students from lower-income families that do not pay taxes. (Some assistance for students -- an increase in borrowing limits for federal student loans and funds for Perkins Loans -- was dropped from the compromise legislation, though, to the dismay of advocates for private and for-profit colleges.)"

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/02/13/stimulus


While I think the current state of the American educational system is deplorable as it specifically relates to cost (stimulus and proposals did/do not go far enough), there is help out there. As others have stated, college is where the heart and mind reside and is not necessarily a building or series of buildings with paid teachers and classmates. American universities should be welcoming environments, but on cost alone they are uninviting to many. That is a tragedy and a glaring indication of skewed priorities and sense of human worth as expressed in public policy.

Keep going and realize that by being born you entered the greatest of all known universities -- Life U. The classes are hard, failure is not optional, and the reward for learning the lessons is indeed great. Keep going, don’t stop!