THE PLIGHT OF AMERICA AS DREAMED BY GEORGE W. BUSH

Wooden (Fir) Sculpture

created between August and November 2007

by Steve McGourty

This is the artist’s first attempt at political commentary in sculpture.

It is truly unfortunate that George W. Bush’s neo-con dream has become our nation’s nightmare.

While the figure is based on the harsh reality of the worst President in history, the artist could not bring himself to impose an exact copy of the feckless leader’s image upon himself or others.   Moreover, a faceless figure helps to symbolize the total lack of accountability for the many failures and breaches of the law by President Bush and his Administration.   The relatively large block of wood in the base holding up a very small head is emblematic of the paradox of both the illusion that Bush is actually in charge and that he has caused the mounting debt.  Ripples in the grain of the wood signify the numerous layers of secrecy imposed on the people’s business by the securely cloistered fear-mongering Presidential proxy, Dick Cheney.  The extremely thin neck characterizes the neo-con’s intolerance of dissenting ideas.  Cracks in the wood are reminders to the viewer of the splintered logic that has been employed to attack our Constitution in the name of preserving our nation.  The large hole through the head is representative of the intellectual ineptitude exemplified by Mr. Bush’s attempts to deal with the deadly consequences of his actions.  The smooth surface of the sculpture is an allusion to the constant manipulation of the Press by this President in an attempt to reshape “the truth”. It is truly unfortunate that George W. Bush’s neo-con dream has become our nation’s nightmare.

The sculpture was created using recycled scrap lumber left over from the artist’s home remodel.

The sculptures dimensions are Height: 14 7/8”, Width: 9 ¼”, and Depth: 5 3/8”