The unearthing of a forgotten Caravaggio masterpiece, The Persuasion of the Imbecile (above) brings to mind some of the other great works of art throughout history. Some highlights below:
1. Make America Great Again
For some mysterious reason, Grant Wood did not include a torch in his famous homage to the American dream (symbolizing the darkness that was to come with the civil rights movement, perhaps?) but treasured American values like religion and pasty whiteness are well represented.
2. The Praising of Trump
Leonardo Da Vinci beautifully captured the traditional singing of praises to the illustrious leader for all the world to see. Jeff Sessions, who later betrayed his master, is seen wearing green and blue and clutching his letter of recusal.
3. Puerto Rico
Pablo Picasso captured the mayhem experienced in America’s island territory after the ravages of Hurricane Maria. The death toll, believed to be in the thousands, still goes unacknowledged by the administration to this day.
4. The Nightmare of Pence
Peter Paul Rubens used his own imagination to envision the worst fears of Mike Pence. That is, that any meeting between a man and a woman for any reason whatsoever will inevitably result in nakedness and scandal.
5. Me Too
On the topic of nightmares, Sandro Botticelli’s depiction of the Me Too movement coming out of its shell heralded the beginning of the end for casting-couch letches and pussy-grabbing presidents.
6. Election 2016
The last in our series features Edvard Munch’s gripping reflection on the most recent American presidential election.