Wednesday 25 March 2009

Nude Study of Brian Cowen Perched on the Toilet

or, "So it Comes Out Both Ends, Then?"

This is very late, and it is a topic that has done the rounds - or had the runs - on practically every other blog in the country a couple of times by now... so YOU SAW IT LAST ON GOMBEEN NATION! But just for the record: here's the famous pic that appeared in Dublin's National Gallery recently, of our illustrious leader perched with his pants down, no doubt contemplating how many segments of loo roll to use in order to reduce the national debt .

The same picture, by the way, this day prompted our wonderful police force to call at the Offices of Today FM, to investigate emails sent to that broadcaster by Conor Casby, the artist responsible for the excellent work. OK, the subject is not the most promising source material, and Mona Lisa need not worry about eviction from the loo - sorry, the Louvre - any time soon. But What an enigmatic smile! What light and composition!

After RTE news had reported the mysterious appearance of the painting in Dublin's art gallery on Monday evening's news (usually it's disappearances that get all the attention), they were forced to issue an apology at the end of last night's news in case "any offence" had been caused to the subject or his family. This apparently followed a complaint by Cowen's office, who it seems were quite po-faced about the matter.

If this had happened in any other country - apart from Stalinist Russia or Hitler's Germany perhaps - it would have been ignored or laughed off by those in authority. But not in Ireland.

What exactly is RTE apologising for? Reporting the news... lightweight as it may be?

Maybe we should rename the State broadcaster "Pravda" (or "Truth")? In Gaelic of course.

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20 comments:

Bernd said...

Och aye ... Brian the Bogrollman ... notice that the guards are investigating for "incitement, indecency and criminal damage". Which very much describes Fianna Fail's policy, doesn't it? Or maybe I got something wrong here ...

Locky said...

In case anyone missed it before RTE took it down from their website, here's the link to the RTE report that so offended the Government: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQsR09ER4Yk

Anonymous said...

Hi GM, GOMBEEN NATION what an appropriate name for your blog, if ever there was one and this story just illustrates this. Ta Locky for the youtube clip. Bernd yup you got a handle on FF alright.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should rename the State broadcaster "Pravda" (or "Truth")? In Gaelic of course.

Actually it would be a better idea to rename it after the rival Russian journal Izvestia As per the old Russian joke "The problem with the Soviet press is there is no truth in Pravda and no news in Izvestia"

Unknown said...

To true this man was not elected president thats why this picture depicts the truth. A fat man sitting on the toilet because he certainly is not doing his job. We live in a police state when the government can have someone arrested for freedom of speech. PLEASE the Irish People elect a president of your choice.

Unknown said...

Help the truth is out!!!! please elect your own president to true, loose weight put your underpants on and do your job. The problem is he does not know how to do his job..

Anonymous said...

Picturegate I guess that's what you'd call it.

Bernd said...

Jay is right ... our President was not elected. Yet a portrait of her in the same position and state of undress might be slightly less vomit-inducing.

Note to US readers - Cowen is the un-elected Taoiseach, McAleese the un-elected Presidet. Why do the Boomtown Rats come to mind? "Banana Republic .... sceptic isle ..."

The Gombeen Man said...

That's a song I have on my MP3 player, none of you will be surprised to hear!

Anonymous said...

ido declare this is a masterpiece a tip of the hat to the artist the title should be a bogman with a bog roll in the bog ,or maybe noble bogman in the bog

Anonymous said...

I couldn't care less about politicians. I am no fan of Mr. Cowen and I dislike Fianna Fail with a passion. But, someone who sits around drawing pictures of politicians in the nude should really get out more! There are far more important things in this world to worry about than some loser getting a telling off for sticking his moronic pictures on National Gallery walls. (Censor that, you "liberal" hypocrites!!)

Bernd said...

Anonymous wrote: "There are far more important things in this world to worry about than some loser getting a telling off for sticking his moronic pictures on National Gallery walls."

So true ... that's why it is so embarrassing that our politicians, state broadcaster and gardai act like morons in trying to appease the fat man.

Anonymous said...

Hi GM, will use your comments to reply to Anonymous. People who think "someone who sits around drawing pictures of politicans in the nude really should get out more". Now there's a novel ideal Ms/Mr Anonymous, why don't you try getting out a bit more too? People do caricature drawings all the time, have a look at any of the daily newspapers, so nothing new there. What's newsworthy here is they were put up in 2 prominent galleries, but the big news really is the reaction of the powers that be. Sure the fact that the pictures were hung in the galleries was reported and there the matter would have ended if RTE had not felt it should apolgise for reporting news and of course if a complaint had not been made about the paintings. Something we can agree on though, I too dislike FF with a passion.

The Gombeen Man said...

Censor? Not us. Actually, Anon, far from being "moronic" I think it's a pretty good picture.

As the other posters have pointed out, it's the reaction from Authority that's the big thing here.

You'd think our esteemed leaders would have "far more important things to worry about" at the moment, to react to it as they have.

Anonymous said...

"someone who sits around drawing pictures of politicians in the nude should really get out more!" Very true!! I have no idea either what motivates someone to do this. There are plenty of funnier caricature ideas than the obscene ones chosen by this so-called "artist".

I don't like Mr. Cowen any more than the other contributors here, but I will not stoop as low as Conor Gasby in his insulting and personal attack on the man. Ultimately, what could have been very funny and made a political point, turned out to be vicious and grossly offensive. I guess some people just don't know where to draw the line (no pun intended).

Anonymous said...

The guy - Conor Casby (or Gasby as he seems to be referred to in places) is a teacher? Well that partly answers why young people seem to leave school with no-limits disrespect for each other and society at large. Of course, our greedy and incompetent politicians don't exactly help either.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone else find it annoying that the opposition parties have wasted much MUCH more of our taxpayer's money holding up business in our national parliament (Dail) ranting on about the couple of hours the Gardai spent on cautioning the waster who put these images in the National Gallery? Enda Kenny & Co., we pay your inflated salaries to work on matters of national importance. Try coming up with ideas on our health service, education system, transport system, economy, etc, etc. Our current government may be woefully poor at their jobs, but the opposition are even worse.

Anonymous said...

a good ad for contraceptive, could you emagine sleeping with that

Ella said...

You know a face like that (BIFFO's) it really does show that god must have a sense of humour

Anonymous said...

Fianna Fail -Politics for the intellectually constipated.