The time has come, dear readers, for another batch of George W. Bush paintings, revealed by your friendly neighborhood hacker Guccifer.
Gawker published this month's Dubya art showcase, featuring two new paintings that keep the mystery of Bush, the artist, alive. One features a similar subject -- dogs lounging on a patch of lush, green grass. The other nods to what might be a new theme to watch out for in 43's oeuvre; a theme very close to the internet and single, elderly women's hearts -- cats.
Yes, one of the newest canvases (which you can view on Gawker) shows a handsome tuxedo cat perched atop a shelf of some sort looking contemplative, slightly weary, dare we say... pensive. Like Bush's past animal-inspired masterpieces, the expressive nature of the work is actually pretty impressive, and will likely spur a whole a new onslaught of reviews that attempt to decipher Dubya's emotional state vis à vis his strange paintings.
This is, of course, not the first cat portrait to come from the brush of Mr. Bush. Guccifer's continued meddling into the artistic life of the former president has produced not one, not two, but three separate feline renderings. It might be too soon to tell, but Gawker doesn't hold back in noting that just as swiftly as Dubya transitioned from self-portraits to relaxing dogs, he may be evolving into a "cat phase."
Whether or not Bush has gone the way of Balthus, we're intrigued by his ability to remain relevant in the art world. His latest installment of presidential art raises the question, once again, of what it means to be an artist. If he keeps painting, will we be forced to recognize his outsider abilities? Or, like a virtual fallen tree, is it just the viral awareness that brings legitimacy to his story? Only time, and your comments, will tell.
In the meantime, can someone make this happen already?