“Yes” and “no” were the first two words that popped into my head when looking at the piece art. Jesus is and was known as a figure who gave his life for the sins of many others. He helped so many people in all different kinds of ways. And Jesus was the “Son of God”. Barack Obama is the President of the United States. He is looked at for guidance, for support, and for a helping hand. He is supposed to help lead our nation into the right direction. “Yes” and “no” came to mind at first because Jesus and Obama do have some similarities such as helping and supporting others. People look up to them for guidance, but Obama didn’t save the lives of many by healing their diseases. He didn’t put his life before others because that was his life prophecy. At first glance, I assumed the author was trying to compare about great of a man Obama is considered to be to that of the man Jesus was.
“The Truth” by Michael D’Antuono was done in 2009. Michael is known for his skills with oil painting and his creations with classical romantic art. But one day, he was listening to various news stations and heard many different accounts and interpretations to certain events and he saw how these events affected people in everyday life. For that reason, he was inspired to paint “The Truth”. This is a very controversial piece portraying President Obama standing in front of the presidential seal in a crucifixion like pose. He is also wearing a crown of thrones.
This piece of art brought on a lot of controversy especially those associated with religion. The painting was supposed to be unveiled in New York’s Union Square on President Obama’s 100th day in office. The painting was supposed to be in a mock voting booth for people to view privately and then interviewed to express their own opinions. The intent of the painting was to show everyone how many of out interpretations are often distorted by the political view. The political view often shapes what we consider to be “The Truth” and how it has become a dangerous problem in our nation today. D’Antuono decided not to show his painting in the Union Square because the upcoming of the unveiling was being announced on television and with this announcement, his picture was shown. After that, Michael had received about 3,000 e-mails and about 98% of those e-mails expressed some sort of anger towards his painting. Michael also wanted to create public discourse with this painting. He wanted to public to come together and discuss the issues and feel free to express themselves. Michael wanted everyone’s voice t be heard and that is a main element that he tries to convey and produce in many of his pieces of art.
Michael claims that he was not trying to disrespect anyone’s religion or try and assume that President Obama is Jesus Christ, but the religious aspects to this piece were metaphoric. The central theme of this piece of art is his makes people think and wonder if what they see as being the “truth” is the real truth. Many of his pieces of art bring a new life to reality while trying to help others understand the complexity of his work and life. The purposes of his pieces are to bring on discussion not anger.
The title of the piece, “The Truth,” suggests a play on biblical themes, as Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. This art is not exactly the retelling of the text, but it can be related back to the painting. To many, Jesus was seen as the way, the truth, and the life. President Obama is seen as a figure that is the leader of us all and he too can be seen as the way. But how do the people know what he is saying is the truth and he is the life? Many people have a problem with this painting because they feel that the painting suggest Barack Obama is the Messiah and all should follow him when that is not what Michael D’Autuono didn’t mean at all. This piece of art certainly brings on new perspectives like I had mentioned earlier in this response. This piece of art clearly brings on questions of whether the President is the Messiah and if and how they are related to each other. The pose in this piece and the crown of thrones is meant to suggest something more than what people just see. “The Truth” questions what we know and what we think we know. It questions what is the “truth” and if what are being told is the “truth”. It brings on a dispute of how political views often shape what we see and how we think. “This piece of art is more than a presidential portrait," writes D'Antuono on a website touting the painting, "'The Truth' is a politically, religiously and socially-charged statement on our nation's current political climate and deep partisan divide that is sure to create a dialogue."
http://freedomeden.blogspot.com/2009/04/michael-dantuono-truth-and-obama.html
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=96138
http://www.artandresponse.com/
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