Could the Obamas be any more “let ‘em eat cake”?
What are we trying to prove here, with the transformation of the South Lawn of the White House – in February – into a Claude Monet-inspired water-lily garden for the state dinner to honor French premier Francois Hollande? Seriously, the guy’s not even bringing a Sig-O: someone to at least look glamorous in a Dior gown and some bangles or something. All we get to see is his beagle-like mug suspended over a tux. How much is this costing the American taxpayer?
Equally to the point, why is Monet being used as the inspiration for a costly, over-the-top outdoors-in-the-dead-of-winter shindig, when it would be more appropriate – and a lot cheaper – to go with an iconic image from American art?
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Here at LU, we’ve assembled some lower-budget suggestions. Come up with your own, if you like. The possibilities are endless.
Edward Hopper, Nighthawks
James Whistler, Portrait of the Artist’s Mother
George Bellows, The Art of Boxing
Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World
Thomas Hart Benton, Arts of the West
Georgia O’Keeffe, Rams Head, White Hollyhock-Hills
(OK, the O’Keeffe might be a little hard to bring off.)
Grant Wood, American Gothic