“The Nightmare” (2017) is the best picture of Donald Trump I have seen so far. It is by Mark Bryan, he who painted George W. Bush’s cabinet as a mad tea party, featured here in 2008 in the dying days of those days.
Bryan, with his apologies to octopuses everywhere:
“The Kraken has been released from the depths and the Trumpocalypse is at hand. Hang on tight, it’s gonna be a rough ride Back to when things were ‘great’.
“To clarify, This was meant to be a “Kraken”, not an Octopus. The Kraken is a mythological sea monster of Norwegian lore. Derived from krake, a word designating an unhealthy animal or something twisted (cognate with the English crook and crank) Historically depicted as an Octopus like animal. This image was inspired by the famous cartoon about the Standard Oil monopoly by Udo Keppler in 1904. The tentacles are also an irresistible metaphor for political satire. I had reservations about using an octopus like image because they really are amazing and intelligent beings. I apologize to them everywhere.”
Here is that inspiring picture of Standard Oil, Rockefeller’s old oil company, broken up by the US government, the biggest piece of which we now call ExxonMobil:
– Abagond, 2017.
Source: Art of Mark Bryan.
See also:
Abagond reminds me of how Trump behaves. They’re both hypersensitive when people call out their lies, hypocrisy and protection of white supremacists, then resort to petty, vindictive retorts as we’ve witnessed.
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The Mark Bryan Trump drawing is embarrassingly silly.
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This is amazing. I don’t like that they represented the Russian with a communist symbol. Russia today is anything but communist/socialist. But I guess it was needed so people know this is a Russian (Putin?)
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@ Mira
My guess is that, given the times, Bryan meant him to be taken as a Putin envoy than an actual communist.
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Abagond,
Yeah, it must be it. I don’t think anyone would associate Trump with communism. I just feel blah that Russia is kind of still associated with communism because it’s not (and also I don’t like the demonization of seocialism that often exists on the West).
Not that it’s important for this image. Sorry for derailing. It’s an excellent work. So scary yet it explains everything.
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(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4emO2sOC50o)
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Appropriately accurate.
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Incidentally, it’s “octopuses,” not “octopi”. Since “octopus” comes from Greek, not Latin, there’s no reason to give it a Latin plural.
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@Mira
there is lots of Russophobia over here
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The Kraken/Octopus coming into power, taking over the goverment or the world is a long-standing motive of antisemitic imagery. It gives me the impression that Mark Bryan wants to associate Trump with a sort of Zionism. I think there is much better motives that can be used to criticise him, that don’t invoke this kind of problematic association.
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Abagond’s refusal to post my comments serves as further proof that he behaves just like Trump. When people point out their lies, hypocrisy and protection of white supremacists, they both resort to petty retorts.
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Yes!!! Now I can say octopussies and be completely in the right!!!
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The imagery is startling and rather chilling. However, I read the symbolism for this creature entails that of natural intelligence, creativity and flexibility. Not so much for Donald Trump!
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I knew it! Cthulu!
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@ cholling
Thank you for the correction.
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This painting is incredibly powerful. It makes me cringe, it’s ugly and frightening. An insightful piece of art.
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Yes Trump is that ugly monster in the art work. That is who he is a hideous monstrosity.
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(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOClY1K4Sno)
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Just a reminder, that you weren’t far off at all
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