Minnesota House Republican upset about painting in which Trump gropes a woman's crotch

The real point of contention is in the bottom right corner. Bockley Gallery


Minnesota Rep. Josh Heintzeman doesn’t often criticize art on his Facebook page. But last week, the Republican from Nisswa went off on a painting currently on display in the Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis.

The piece in question is called Standing Rock 2016. It’s about 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide, according to a report by MPR, and its size and bright color palette give it a lambent, twilit glow from a distance. A metal pipeline disappears under a glowing river and emerges from the mouth of a beast. Attack dogs with two heads rush at a small crowd of protesters, as fat cats in suits smoke cigars and look on. Brightly colored frogs emerge from the river as if to come to its defense, lashing out with their tongues.

And, in the bottom right hand corner, a clearly depicted President Donald Trump gropes the breast of a blindfolded Lady Justice, all the while grabbing at her crotch. This was the part of the painting Heintzeman disliked the most.

“There's a number of very controversial depictions but President Trump's is especially offencive [sic],” he wrote on Facebook last week. He pointed out that the painting (and others in a series) was funded by the Minnesota State Arts Board with a $10,000 grant.

Read more: http://www.citypages.com/arts/minnesota-house-republican-upset-about-painting-in-which-trump-gropes-a-womans-crotch/506509391

Cross-posted in the Artists Group.