Opposites Attract

John Hull and Jason Martin make an unlikely -- but wonderful -- match.

A A A Comments By Michael Paglia Thursday, Nov 18 1999

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The reason we know that this proposal represents the work of Neanderthals and not Homo sapiens is that humans have indulged in the creation of public art meant for the edification of the community since the days of the cave painters, whereas there is no such tradition among our primate cousins. So when Representative Joyce Lawrence, a Republican from Pueblo who is a sponsor of the bill that would eliminate state arts funding (she will introduce it in January), told the Denver Post that "it's not the public sector's role" to pay for art, we can surmise that she is a Neanderthal. So, too, is her fellow Republican and anti-art ally, Representative Dave Owen from Greeley.

Lawrence and Owen are part of a national movement that opposes public funding for art. The most high-profile example of this movement is New York Republican mayor Rudolph Giuliani's attack on the Brooklyn Museum over Sensation, a show that highlights contemporary art from Britain and includes a piece that combines a portrait of the Virgin Mary with a hunk of elephant dung. Among other things, Giuliani has tried to evict the museum, though it has been in the same building for more than a century. Luckily, a New York judge has restrained the city from punishing the museum in any way. The saga will continue, however, since the Giuliani administration has appealed the decision.

"Baby Why Not," by John Hull, painting.

"Vigilante," by Jason Martin, painting.

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Some may have noticed that art bashers, those from around here and those from around the country, are members of the Republican Party. Thus, despite the fact that Minnesota governor and former wrestling star Jesse Ventura is a member of the Reform Party, most present-day Neanderthals have wound up as Republicans.

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