Botero on Abu Ghraib

From an online slideshow accompanying an AP story (thanks to bill): "Colombian painter Fernando Botero poses with some of his new paintings depicting the horrors of U.S. guards' abuse of captives at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, Monday April 11, 2005 in Paris, France. Botero says he became so upset that he felt compelled to produce works showing his trademark chubby characters naked and being blooded by Americans. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)"

Botero 1

Botero 2

Man, I didn't know Botero was still alive, but good for him. We can't paint pictures like this in America--artist Guy Colwell did it and his dealer got punched in the face. In fact, Americans don't care about this issue, except that they generally support torture. Abu Ghraib should have been the event that ended Bush's tour of the White House. Instead he got re-elected. I've pondered on this a lot, and come to the conclusion that I share this country with an inordinate number of racist redneck murderers. Troll repellent: "Of course the 9/11 attacks in the US were unspeakable, but those were not caused by Iraqis, therefore Iraqis did not need to be killed or tortured."

- tom moody 4-19-2005 10:42 pm

These are just stupid, a final stab at relevance from one of the more ridiculous painters of the last century.

What's next, an Abu Ghraib series by the guy who draws "Family Circus" cartoons?

Mr. Botero should step away from the canvas, pop a cold one and take comfort in the current crop of painters who are moving his silly mannerism along. And if money's a problem, Currin, Fischl, Luksavage and the others of their ilk can pass the hat around.

- klubo (guest) 4-20-2005 7:06 am


Thanks for the NeoCon perspective. Once we can get painters back to painting reality again it will help our brown brothers to the south to understand the beauty of our culture and then they will be glad to be beaten senseless.
- tom moody 4-20-2005 7:17 am


Right on ,Tom ! Klubo belies his smugness only a little more than his stupidity. May Balthus paint his mom. Viva Los Caprichos!
- Decker (guest) 4-26-2005 1:10 am


The top google search on -- abu ghraib "Family Circus" -- ought to have a payoff, however lame.

Family Ghraib
- mark 4-27-2005 6:57 am


Ha! Republicans always used to whine about their kids having to cope with news of scary Presidential blowjobs, but I guess acts of creative sadomasochism on "our enemies" don't faze them.
- tom moody 4-27-2005 7:31 am





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