Bush 2007 by Jonathan Yeo (c)
The Bush Library in America commissioned Jonathan Yeo (British portraitist, very establishment, surprisingly impish face) to do George Junior, then backed out. In umbrage, Yeo then did the portrait anyway, fashioning the face of the Potus from a collage of porn mags.Guardian Unlimited: Arts blog – art: Yeo’s portrait of Bush has no meaning:
This portrait is stunning, seen from afar it is new and edgy while maintaining excellent likeness and emotion. but I have to agree with the author of this article in saying Why?Why not make a political message, why not use this outstanding talent to make am key point about the administration? a stunning collaged portrait is an opportunity to examine and undermine key issues behind the subject. surely oilfields, or prisoners of war, battle incursions, bombed cities even images of Weapons of Mass Destruction or the Twin Towers or political enemies – parts that have gone into creating the Bush we all know and ****.I think that the use of Porn in this case is just a joke on bush, but for such a high profile subject and artist it strikes me that this could have been an opportunity to create an important historical artwork, a comment on the Bush administration and everything that has gone into it to be seen by future generations- a chance to educate and to do something important with an artform rather than just giving the finger to the establishment.
Tags: art, art news, controversy, politics, porn, portrait
Jennie's Palette 
I really enjoy your posts about your work, but I love that you also post about some other artists’ quirky, often stunning and thought-provoking art here. It’s stuff I’d never see otherwise.
I agree that a portrait of George W. Bush as you describe would be more salient, but I can sympathise with the artist under the circumstances, I’d want to call the US Prez a ‘cheap-ass fuck’ for sure. (Well, that’s what the work says to me ;-))
Yes, he could have used this opportunity to make a point about the current (mis)administration, but really, why should he have to?
I think the work was rather well done; as for political statements, well, they’ve been done by a whole host of other people, so adding one more to the pile isn’t really going to say anything that hasn’t already been said before (and it’s not like GWB gives a damn anyway). In a way, this is a political statement – as Jacinta says above.
Besides, this is art, after all; surely he’s allowed to create what he wants?
it’s beautifully done and a simple message I have to agree – for fun, check out the artists web-page – as apart from his other works he has detail shots of this piece. the locations and composition of the different paper pieces is truly outstanding and amusing.. 😉