August 15, 2019

If you want to talk about Jeffrey Epstein's broken hyoid bone...

... please go to this other post. Here, I'd like to talk about this crazy painting Epstein had in his Manhattan mansion:



The Daily Mail says:
The picture depicting the former president apparently lounging on a chair in the Oval Office, wearing red heels and posing suggestively in a blue dress redolent of Monica Lewinsky was in a room off the stairway of the Upper East Side townhouse. The dress is also strikingly similar to one worn by Hillary Clinton at the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors....

209 comments:

1 – 200 of 209   Newer›   Newest»
Robert Edick said...

Has a "come hither" look.

AllenS said...

Just when you couldn't believe it could get any weirder, it just got weirder.

Chris said...

Will any of our brave reporters ask Bill or Hillary about the portrait?

Gahrie said...

Bill Clinton...the ultimate splooge stooge.

MadisonMan said...

@Chris, I have to think the Clintons, B&C, are both laying very very low UFN.

Sebastian said...

Inquiring minds want to know: did he pose or not?

Captain BillyBob said...

Those shoes don't go with that dress
According to my wife

richlb said...

Some artist is about to get a jump in recognition.

cf said...

surely, all the "in" people know. don't you know?
"life is a cabaret, old chum, life is a cabaret!"

Amexpat said...

Perhaps contempt of Clinton or some secret joke they had.

Carter Wood said...

I always associate "redolent" with fragrance, but it does indeed mean "strongly reminiscent or suggestive of." So, good writing!

I see the OED added the adverb, "redolently," in 2009. Use THAT in a sentence.

https://www.oed.com/public/update0909/loginpage

henry said...

is that real? i saw it referred to as a photoshop. Oh well.

I wonder if Clinton sat for it on one of his 27 trips on the Lolita Express.

rhhardin said...

Men have more broadened neck/shoulder geometry than women.

Short thick necks make great fighter pilots. Ability to withstand G's without blacking out.

AllenS said...

richlb said...
Some artist is about to get a jump in recognition.

Either that, or some artist is about to get a strangulation.

tim maguire said...

I’m almost disappointed by the unimaginative reference to Monica Lewinsky when there is far richer material right there. Weird as it is, it achieves a sublime weirdness by being one of Hillary’s dresses (shown in one of the pictures further down).

Is he saying they’ve switched roles and now Hillary wears the pants? Is he saying Hillary doesn’t really exist and both roles are played by Bill? Is he saying Bill and Hillary are even more kinky than we already imagined?

Rob said...

The director of the National Portrait Gallery is salivating.

Clyde said...

I hate the Daily Mail. Every article they put up repeats the same facts three or four times, probably to pad their word count. It’s annoying AF.

Lucid-Ideas said...

Move aside Constanza, there's a new contender for the 'Timeless Art of Seduction'.

Lucid-Ideas said...

Still better than Obama's Presidential Portrait.

ddh said...

The painting should have been on black velvet.

tcrosse said...

The director of the National Portrait Gallery is salivating.

The Clinton Presidential Library probably has first dibs.

Clyde said...

@ AllanS at 8:17 am, When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. I believe that’s a Hunter Thompson quote...

Lucid-Ideas said...

Slick Willy went to Pedo Island 26 times according to flight logs.

Now I'm not saying it is, but there would be plenty of time for him to sit for...well anything...

Food for thought.

Bay Area Guy said...

Boy, these Democrat politicians are weirdos. I just hope Clinton didnt actually sit for that portrait...

Beth B said...

I see you shiver with antici...PATION!

tim maguire said...

Blogger Clyde said...I hate the Daily Mail. Every article they put up repeats the same facts three or four times, probably to pad their word count. It’s annoying

Probably for people like me who skim the words and focus on the pictures.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

Clinton offering to blow America.

Kevin said...

Clinton: Jeff, how do I get out to that little island of yours?

Epstein: I think we can come to an arrangement.

Fernandinande said...

Devil with the blue dress on.

Somebody had to say it.

My prediction: "Fake news" from a "source" (52% confidence, ±48%)

AllenS said...

What's missing in that picture is a cigar.

mccullough said...

Trump will buy it and put it in the Oval Office

Amadeus 48 said...

Ha, ha! Epstein must have really had contempt for the Clintons...he must have really hated the Clintons...yeah, that's the ticket!

Wince said...

I'd have to image the Epstein estate will be forced to auction based on civil lawsuits.

The bidding on that painting should be interesting.

Cato Renasci said...

It's meant to be a camp inside joke in their circles, I'd wager.

Michael K said...

I hate the Daily Mail. Every article they put up repeats the same facts three or four times, probably to pad their word count. It’s annoying AF.

Where else can you find the stories about US politics that are suppressed by US media ?

M Jordan said...

We are in the final stages of a masked ball where almost (key word) everyone is drunk, deranged, and dying. I fully expect a hand to appear high on the wall writing the words “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.” And they will be directed not at Trump and his Deplorables (who were never invited to the party in the first place) but to the Clintons, the Obamas, and to the appendages of rot attached to them.

Bob Boyd said...

It's the art from a shelved Clinton era recruiting poster idea.
The original submission said, "I want you" under the image.

buwaya said...

The Daily Mail is a treasure.
Maybe the only real old school English language newspaper left.
Perhaps leaving out the Times of India, but that is rather staid.

buwaya said...

I was thinking of Poe's "Masque of the Red Death"

AllenS said...

Just wait for the videos of BJ in action show up.

AllenS said...

... along with other prominent Democrats.

M Jordan said...

Buwaya

Yeah, me too. What a great story it is, my favorite Poe.

Dave Begley said...

Love it! I want a print of it.

Known Unknown said...

"How long would the person in the portrait have had to sit for a work like that? Anybody with art experience know if they could rough-sketch it in one long take, or would it require multiple sittings?"

In reality, someone could sit for the body pose and then the artist could use a photograph of Clinton's face to finish the rest, so the fact is he probably never sat for this portrait. It's also clumsy and amateurish and looks rushed.

Drago said...

Dave Begley: "Love it! I want a print of it."

I have no doubt whatsoever the dems/left/LLR-left will categorize your desire for a print as a hate crime.

Rob said...

Echoing Voltaire on the subject of God: if this portrait did not exist, it would be necessary to create it.

buwaya said...

The whole thing may be a print of a digital image, it seems to me.
Photoshop art.
It might be something thats been floating around the internet for years.
If not a hoax, it says something about Epsteins state of mind.

tim in vermont said...

If it’s one of Hillary’s dresses, he posed in it.

Fernandinande said...

a blue dress redolent of Monica Lewinsky

The painting smells like Monica Lewinsky? Or the dress smelled like her? That'd make more sense.

A friend's inquiring nose needs to know.

Michael K said...

Ghislaine Maxwell is alive and well and and living with her boyfriend in Mass.

Happy endings,.

CJinPA said...

If you ask me, this Epstein guy was kind of weird.

Nonapod said...

Edward Gibbon makes the argument that the beginning of end of the Roman Republic started with the final victory over Carthage in 146 BC (almost a full century before Caesar declared himself Emperor) which followed by gradual loss of civic virtue, in particular within the ruling classes. I have no idea if the descent into decadence of our elites bares any parallels. But Jeffery Epstein seems like just another symptom, like a weeping sore indicating an underlying disease. It all feels very Roman.

Michael K said...

The whole thing may be a print of a digital image, it seems to me.
Photoshop art.


Half of "contemporary art" is just that. Like David Hockney paintings that sell for millions.

tim in vermont said...

Funny you read the whole article and either Bill Clinton is lying about the number of times he was on the Lolita Express, or the pilot forged the flight logs.

Who has more credibility, do you think?

TJM said...

Bill never looked better!

alan markus said...

That painting reminds me of some NSFW picture of J Edgar Hoover & cohorts engaging in homosexual acts - I think it appeared in some satire magazine in the early 70's. Internet not being very friendly to me today.

When I googled "j edgar hoover politicians drag magazine cover" I did come up with the book cover image for "Inga: Kennedy’s Great Love, Hitler’s Perfect Beauty, and J. Edgar Hoover’s Prime Suspect". So there is that.

buwaya said...

The world has always been weirder and more "irregular" than the official stories that have always been fed to us.

Crack open anything, any "event", any "period", and do a deep dive into the details, and you will find strangeness and ambiguity. Its like there is some odd, deliberate tendency to summarize things in such a way as to make them boring.

Yancey Ward said...

This strikes me as a private joke between two good friends.

Bob Boyd said...

I'm getting the feeling that show 'House Of Cards' was nothing compared to real life in Clinton World.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

I wonder how much that painting will bring at the estate sale.

alan markus said...

The print is available for $40. Parsing Bill

The original is oil on canvas.

It was a project for the artist's MFA degree.

Beth B said...

The painting, "Parsing Bill" is by Australian artist, Petrina Ryan-Kleid.

Prints are available:

https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Parsing-Bill/488702/1670265/view?fbclid=IwAR30NF_xdRP45DtxsynYSMOREtseq92qzdYo_Be2zOhzLB5I4CHJ3niJZec

It makes me wonder if Epstein bought the original or just a really big print to hang in his mansion? And what inspired the purchase? I guess when you're Pimp to the Powerful, your blackmail cameras have caught more than a few famous folk in compromising positions. What was it about this particular piece of art that gave Epstein such a special tickle that he just had to have it? Inside joke, maybe?

Mary Beth said...

My question is, did Bill Clinton know Epstein had this painting? If so, it's a kind of weird mind-fuck sort of thing to have.

There are rumors that there is more art of this sort featuring Clinton, and possibly others, on pedo island. You shouldn't make judgements based on rumors, but it is interesting to think that Epstein kept art that would be emotionally degrading to those that he entertained on the island.

Bill Crawford said...

Doesn't look very (ex-)presidential

Ken B said...

A hunter wears the bearskin as a trophy.

Robert Cook said...

My only comment: it's a terrible painting. Essentially, the artist has just composed an image by placing a photo of Clinton's head on a photo of a woman reclining in a chair. Then, she painted over this photograph to arrive at the finished piece.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Why is there a tiny JFK peeking out from the bookshelf over Clinton’s head? You know why (wink wink)!

cacimbo said...

Epstein also commissioned a mural of himself in jail surrounded by guards. A big fat celebration of his badness. Seems like Bill's portrait is more of the same. Bill beckons him, come on - no need to stop. Look what I got away with, no one really cares. Not only did I keep my job they tried to send me back to the WH as first gentleman.

MadTownGuy said...

Epstein wanted Bill to be First Lady.

Drago said...

CJinPA: "If you ask me, this Epstein guy was kind of weird."

That's only because you are likely an unrefined unenlightened irredeemable deplorable who will never be invited to all the "best" parties that the dems/left/LLR-left throw for themselves.

Drago said...

MadTownGuy: "Epstein wanted Bill to be First Lady."

Epstein wanted Bill to be the first "African-American" First Lady.

Drago said...

Robert Cook: "My only comment: it's a terrible painting."

Beauty is in the eye of the blackmailer.

Nonapod said...

It makes me wonder if Epstein bought the original or just a really big print to hang in his mansion?

My guess is that it was a gift from a close friend. It's got that silly-gift-vibe about it.

And I don't imagine Bill had any idea.

Leland said...

So if the progressive fantasies are true and Trump was also involved with Epstein's activities; what will the Trump picture look like?

FWBuff said...

As another famous American said while wearing red, white, and blue in a painting:

"I want you!"

cacimbo said...

"kept art that would be emotionally degrading to those that he entertained"

Degrading now that it is public. Kept privately it can be a big laugh, a point of pride on how power and $$$$ give you unlimited privilege. OJ, Durst, Michael Jackson.... Rich powerful people getting away with their crimes has long been the norm. Epstein appears to have been very comfortable celebrating is privilege.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Was Bill wearing Monica's blue dress when it got stained?

RigelDog said...

Ms. Althouse, I knew you were going to post on this painting. Wondering what you think of it, artistically?

Rory said...

The dress is of interest in dating the picture. Is the 2009 photo the only time she was seen in it?

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I think Hillary bought the dress for her 2009 inauguration at which it turns out Obama took the oath. So Hillary ended up wearing it to the Kennedy Center Gala instead. So this painting could be a riff on Bill as the first First Gentleman. Then it makes sense as an inside joke among men who hold Her in contempt.

Fen said...

Whenever the Left pretends Trump has disgraced the office of President, show them this.

Put the popcorn in the microwave first. :)

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

"100-Dollar Bill" in drag in a trailer park

Skeptical Voter said...

Ah that's just Billy Jeff channeling his inner J. Edgar Hoover. I lived in San Diego in the 50s and 60's. J. Edgar and his chief lieutenant/best friend Clyde Tollner used to come out to La Jolla for the Del Mar track horse racing season. While staying in La Jolla the two of them liked to cross dress, running around in their hotel suite in women's lingerie and clothes.

Billy Jeff is lusty guy and I don't doubt that he's tried a lot of things over his sexual life.

Dave Begley said...

That is a picture of JFK in the background. Great catch!

What I love about all this Epstein, Clinton, Weinstein et al. stuff is that it exposes the liberal elites for the degenerates that they are. They aren't our betters. They aren't elites. They may be rich, but they are a bunch of sickos. And what miserable family lives they must have.

And Hillary is the link between the three. Why she doesn't divorce Bill is a mystery to me. How many trips did he take on JE's jet? What woman would stand for that? Has she no self respect? Yeah, they'll have to divide up the money in the divorce but so what?

Kevin said...

My only comment: it's a terrible painting.

There are some posts where I imagine Althouse and Meade write down a list of comments they expect to be posted, then at a predetermined time they see which of them got more "hits" on their list.

It's like comment bingo.

This is one of them...

Howard said...

It's a classic folk multi-perspective style showing some interesting "Hans Hofmann" plasticity... also employed successfully by GW Bush in his paintings.

TreeJoe said...

Lets see:

Trump:

- Made one comment on Epstein quoted in an entertainment article
- Flew on his private jet once between florida and new york
- kicked him out of mar-a-lago and had no further communication with him since ~2003? that is known

Clinton:

- No clear public or private relationship with Epstein
- Flew on his private jet for long international flights on 12-25 occasions, including those where secret service seems to have been left behind
- "In 2015, Gawker released the flight logbooks for Epstein's Gulfstream and the Lolita Express 727. Bill Clinton is among the prominent people listed in the flight logs, having took several trips on the Lolita Express with a softcore porn actress listed under "massages" in Epstein's address book, also published by Gawker. Clinton shared eleven flights aboard the Lolita Express with Maxwell and Epstein's former assistant Sarah Kellen, who has been accused in court filings of recruiting young girls, acting as a pimp on Epstein's behalf. On multiple flights, additional women, listed in the flight logs by their first name or the simple descriptor "female," joined Clinton aboard Epstein's plane. A statement released by Clinton's office acknowledges only the African tour"

....

Ya know, the man who 3 years ago was poised to return to the white house?

And every article highlights the trump connection and downplays the clinton connection.

Bleh.

Daniel Jackson said...

Kudos to Beth B--the hipsters of our generation envied the Sweet Transvestite, which is here to refresh your memory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc80tFJpTuo

So, now we have the complete story of Billy Bob Clinton--playing saxophone on Arsenio Hall (1992) and a supercharged crossdresser in an upscale bordello.

Naw. That portrait is an homage to a Sweet Memory.

William said...

Parts of Epstein are explicable if you go to a dark place, but this is totally strange.

CJinPA said...

The whole thing may be a print of a digital image, it seems to me.
Photoshop art.


How about Photoshop Video, or Deep Fake?

Watch his face as he does impressions.

Chuck said...

Clinton shoulda paid Monica $136,000 and gotten a non-disclosure agreement.

MartyB said...

Gahhh! I was hoping to never see this and deliberately avoided following any link.

Thanks Althouse :-/

Michael K said...

Crack open anything, any "event", any "period", and do a deep dive into the details, and you will find strangeness and ambiguity. Its like there is some odd, deliberate tendency to summarize things in such a way as to make them boring.

I think that is far more typical of the rich and the "elites" who are bored with conventional life. A woman walks into the art gallery where my daughter worked for several years and writes a check for $850,000 for a painting I would not accept as gift, The artist she now works for (after maternity leave) has been bed ridden for 6 months, yet he is still creating "art" which is actually done by "Assistants."

Corruption is rampant but not all can afford to be corrupt. Only the rich and the very poor, like the serial felon who shot 6 policemen in Philly yesterday, can afford to be corrupt.

Kevin said...

Clinton shoulda paid Monica $136,000 and gotten a non-disclosure agreement.

You claim to be some kind of lawyer, so I have to ask.

How would that have protected Bill from having to answer questions about his sexual activities under oath?

PM said...

They looks pretty comfortable.

SeanF said...

Carter Wood: I always associate "redolent" with fragrance, but it does indeed mean "strongly reminiscent or suggestive of." So, good writing!

It would be good writing, if they hadn't left off the comma after "Lewinsky".

SDaly said...

As noted above, this seems to be a show of that Epstein had the upper hand in his relations with the Clintons. People who talk about the ClintonBodyCount should understand that the Clintons, while not mere pawns, are not the King and Queen on the chessboard.

Freeman Hunt said...

Heh. I knew there would be an Althouse post on this.

I wonder what Bill Clinton thought of the painting when he saw it.

RobinGoodfellow said...

Blogger Dave Begley said...
Love it! I want a print of it.


He is a loathsome, offensive brute. Yet I can’t look away!

Seeing Red said...

Now that that cat’s out of the bag, it will be harder to hide the connection.

Bay Area Guy said...

"My only comment: it's a terrible painting. Essentially, the artist has just composed an image by placing a photo of Clinton's head on a photo of a woman reclining in a chair. Then, she painted over this photograph to arrive at the finished piece."

Really, that's your only comment? That the painting is hanging on the wall of a mansion, owned by a convicted sex offender, who never had a real job, but somehow accumulated $500 Million, and just hanged himself in jail, a day after thousands of documents were released in a federal court case, implicating various political bigwigs, that doesn't catch your attention?

Serious narrow blinders on .....

Curious George said...

The picture depicting the former president apparently lounging on a chair in the Oval Office, wearing red heels and posing suggestively in a blue dress redolent of Monica Lewinsky was in a room off the stairway of the Upper East Side townhouse. The dress is also strikingly similar to one worn by Hillary Clinton at the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors....


Bill wore it better.

Michael K said...

You claim to be some kind of lawyer, so I have to ask.

Ambulance chaser at best.

I don't think I've met a trail lawyer who is not a leftist except assistant DAs who are usually cops who went to law school at night.

traditionalguy said...

Epstein is the open door to disgusting stuff that no one wants to be true. Think it not strange that they show off their having a privilege of being lawless, like Divine Right Kings did. That is what gets them to mark themselves with symbols of the crimes they proudly commit. They do whatever they want like all Alistair Crowley spawned occult temples do. It is a satanic art collection shown off when they throw hotdog and pizza parties where Witches spirit cook forbidden sacrifices.

Freeman Hunt said...

Who could see that in a house and not laugh? It's a visual punchline. I can see why he bought it

jaydub said...

"Clinton shoulda paid Monica $136,000 and gotten a non-disclosure agreement."

How would paying her money have prevented the disclosure of his perversions when IIRC Monica never testified to or disclosed anything. So, cheap shot. Go pour another gin.

Chuck said...


Blogger Kevin said...
Clinton shoulda paid Monica $136,000 and gotten a non-disclosure agreement.

You claim to be some kind of lawyer, so I have to ask.

How would that have protected Bill from having to answer questions about his sexual activities under oath?


I dunno. It’s a great question. Maybe it wouldn’t. Can a president get away with just saying he doesn’t want to testify? In a criminal case? In a civil case? Maybe it wouldn’t have worked for Clinton. I suppose it’s possible that Clinton’s lawyers, if they were dirty enough, would get indicted and all the checks would be made public, even if Clinton tried to hide them behind shell corporations. So yeah; maybe the payoff for an NDA isn’t such a good idea. Especially if it were done as part of an election campaign because that raises all of the federal election law issues.

Thanx so much for your fine question cuz it really helped me out.

Francisco D said...

The artist she now works for (after maternity leave) has been bed ridden for 6 months, yet he is still creating "art" which is actually done by "Assistants."

Jackson Pollack had his assistants do all his painting, according to my Art historian wife.

Chuck said...

8/15/19, 10:51 AM
Blogger Michael K said...
You claim to be some kind of lawyer, so I have to ask.

Ambulance chaser at best.

I don't think I've met a trail lawyer who is not a leftist except assistant DAs who are usually cops who went to law school at night.


Pardner, let me just tell you that us trail lawyers got no time to be chasin’ no ambulances. Not with the ropin’ and the herdin’ and the brandin’ and the cowboy yodelin’ that we got to do. ‘Round the ol’ campfire, we talk about how we can get better federal legislation to crack down on interstate cattle rustlin’.

Kevin said...

I dunno.

Exactly.

Narr said...

Jackson Pollock tolerated sloppy work!

I LOVE the painting and all the commentary about it.

Narr
Brings out the finger-waggers from all sides!

Ann Althouse said...

"is that real? i saw it referred to as a photoshop. Oh well."

It's a painting. I assume the artist had reference photos of Clinton for the head and either used photos or a model for the rest of it.

Michael K said...

Chuck has never seen a typo.

Ann Althouse said...

"Ms. Althouse, I knew you were going to post on this painting. Wondering what you think of it, artistically?"

It's a comical illustration that does what it sets out to do. There's nothing pretentious about it. It's not terribly great at looking realistic. No one should wonder whether Clinton really posed for it, so it's not a "portrait" in the high-art sense. There's no effort at an expressive or individual style. It's just light-hearted fun, which is what drag tends to be, I think.

Jay Vogt said...

Okay, what the hell. I’ll take a crack at defending it, just for sport’s sake.

To be clear though, it’s creepy and only a weirdo would create it and only an even bigger weirdo would have it displayed anywhere.

So here goes:

It’s thoughtfully composed as the eyes naturally move from upper left to lower right. It adheres to the rule of thirds in both dimensions. The straight-on perspective is unique and purposeful. The treatment of the edges is clean and balanced. Several interesting lines emerge and they are “unified” (take note of the left forearm and the right shin – they create a nice arc that is mimicked but inverted by the right thigh, butt and back. The arc shape is further repeated in the shoes. The background rectangles are varied but similar and emphasized at about the same level so as not to distract from the foreground.

The color scheme is simple, complementary and emphatic with out being aggressive. The color saturation and hue work together and flow within each of the component shapes – see the soft shadowing.

Uh oh, while it’s true that I’m doing this to distract myself from eating on a fast day lunch break, I think I should stop now because I might be just as weird for spending any time at all on that creepy mess.

Robert Cook said...

"Jackson Pollack had his assistants do all his painting, according to my Art historian wife."

Your art historian wife is wrong. Pollack didn't have any assistants.

Robert Cook said...

"He is a loathsome, offensive brute. Yet I can’t look away!"

You should put quotes around remarks when you're quoting.

Seeing Red said...

For all we know, the former-rapist-in-chief could have played dress up and it was a “private” joke.

Rory said...

"Yet I can’t look away!"

I got it.

Birkel said...

Smear Merchant Chuck believes he has a point.
Let's all pretend along with him.

Freeman Hunt,
Are you cool with Charlottesville, VA deciding not to honor Jefferson any more?
With the Democrats getting rid of their Jefferson-Jackson Dinner?
When do you think the slippery slope becomes manageable?

Tomcc said...

I can't fathom the intent of the picture or it's placement. Punchline? Light-hearted fun? When I first viewed it yesterday (through Instapundit), I found it disturbing; I mean, it's a big picture! Now I'm noodling over whether BC knew about it (inside joke) or if JE had a secret man crush.

Nichevo said...


Chuck said...
Clinton shoulda paid Monica $136,000 and gotten a non-disclosure

Should've paid Paula Jones instead, dont you think?

Michael K said...

I can't fathom the intent of the picture or it's placement.

Some people have odd taste, if you could call it that. I once knew of someone who had a painting of a cross section of a penis hung in a prominent place.

Christy said...

That pointed finger called to mind the 'I Did Not Have Sexual Relations With That Woman' statement. A quick internet search doesn't show that wagging finger, so why do I remember it clearly? You can see it, sorta, at the periphery of the cropped video.

n.n said...

Transvestites are trans-social. Superior exploitation is a social dilemma. Epstein celebrated Clinton et al who struck a pose for social progress.

Tomcc said...

Michael K: If only you'd written "displayed" instead of "hung"...

Nichevo said...

Should've paid Paula Jones instead, dont you think?

That shut him up, didn't it.

Chuck said...

Althouse, I think it is noteworthy (I was going to say “interesting,” but it is the opposite of interesting) that your Trumpist/4Chan commentariat wants so much to talk about the Clinton Body Count, while no one has even mentioned the artist in question. She is a galleried New York painter of some significance, apparently. I gather that she is represented by Saatchi Art. Petrina Ryan-Klein is her name, and “Parsing Bill” is her title for the work.

Everyone seems to want to conclude that Epstein commissioned this art work and was intimately involved in scheming it. Is that true? Or did he just see it, and thought it funny, and purchased it?

Jim at said...

Things that can't be unseen for $800, Alex.

Chuck said...


Blogger Nichevo said...
Should've paid Paula Jones instead, dont you think?


That was $800,000.

Beasts of England said...

'Trumpist/4Chan commentariat'

Anyone have that on their Chuck bingo card?

Bay Area Guy said...

Pleasant reminder:

Hillary is still not President, and Slick Willie is still not roaming the halls of the West Wing causing trouble.

Ugly painting, though. And weird. And in the home of a convicted sex pervert. Who died in jail, by breaking his own neck bones.

Dr Weevil said...

Dave Begley (10:03am):
"Why [Hillary] doesn't divorce Bill is a mystery to me." It was a mystery to me, too, until someone on the web pointed out that spouses can't be made to testify against each other. Once I read that, I had no further questions.

Birkel said...

Beasts of England:
If I have 4Chan on one square and Trumpist on another square, can I mark both?

Smear Merchant gonna smear.

rehajm said...

The legume diet seems to be working. Or the Parkinson's. Whatever, it’s working.

Beasts of England said...

You got a good card, Birkel!! I see a set of steak knives in your future... :)

Just an old country lawyer said...

Things have gotten so that you must be a chump if you don't believe in conspiracy theories of some sort.

Michael K said...


Blogger Tomcc said...
Michael K: If only you'd written "displayed" instead of "hung"...


Never mention rope in the house of a man who has been hung.

bagoh20 said...

I heard from two anonymous sources who are close to the matter that Epstein was found with a blue dress wrapped tightly around his neck.

Calypso Facto said...

Chuck said: "no one has even mentioned the artist in question".

Except 3 hours prior to that comment at 9:26 and again at 9:28 two separate commenters did, in fact, already post almost all of the same information (complete with links).

Does that mean a retraction of the Trumpist/4Chan comment is imminent?

Haha - jk!

bagoh20 said...

Maybe we should all preface our comments with "While no one even mentioned ...".

That way you get to say what you want and put down the whole room while you do it. A twofer.

Clyde said...

To be clear, I appreciate the role the Daily Mail plays in reporting stories that the American media would spike. But they need someone to edit their stories properly -- call that person an editor or something like that -- and not be so repetitious.

Bay Area Guy said...

There's a companion painting in Epstein's den depicting Monica Lewinsky, dressed in a 3 piece suit, shoving a cigar up Slick Willie's buttock.

Birkel said...

I'm sure Bill and Hillary were beyond blackmail.

https://mobile.twitter.com/IvanPentchoukov/status/1161936214557102080

Chuck said...

You all think I wish to defend or support Clinton? Never. I think they are both lying scumbags. I won’t defend them.

I just like comparing them to, and linking them to, Trump.

Has anybody here invited the Clintons to their wedding? Did you have to make a substantial donation to a Clinton-related foundation to get them to accept?

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-wedding-that-explains-the-election

Birkel said...

Bay Area Guy,
You had better mention that Robert Maplethorpe's cousin was the artist or a certain smear Merchant will criticize everybody.

Static Ping said...

Is it wrong to say that Bill wore it better?

Lucien said...

I always suspected that Bill's ankles were more shapely than Hillary's

Sheridan said...

Billy Jeff - the country's first black/drag/trans/bi President. Who knew?!

Chris Lopes said...

I don't know if the Clintons had anything to do with his death, but I'd have killed him too.

FullMoon said...

Althouse, I think it is noteworthy (I was going to say “interesting,” but it is the opposite of interesting) that your Trumpist/4Chan commentariat wants so much to talk about the Clinton Body Count, while no one has even mentioned the artist in question. She is a galleried New York painter of some significance, apparently. I gather that she is represented by Saatchi Art. Petrina Ryan-Klein is her name, and “Parsing Bill” is her title for the work.

Everyone seems to want to conclude that Epstein commissioned this art work and was intimately involved in scheming it. Is that true? Or did he just see it, and thought it funny, and purchased it?


What a dumb fuck. Try reading comments before rushing to post your idiocy.

And, BTW, why does anyone believe some un named person took a photo of this at Epstein place? Reverse image search shows this on internet in 2014.

FullMoon said...

Makes great Christmas present for liberal friends. Almost as good as MAGA hat. More expensive at $40.00 without frame. $41.00 if you frame it yourself with Chinese frame from dollar store.


https://www.saatchiart.com/print/Painting-Parsing-Bill/488702/1670265/view?sku=P212-U488702-A1831278-T2-F

Just asking said...

Althouse, I think it is noteworthy (I was going to say “interesting,” but it is the opposite of interesting) that your Trumpist/4Chan commentariat wants so much to talk about the Clinton Body Count, while no one has even mentioned the artist in question.

It was mentioned in two separate posts, three hours before you told us nobody has mentioned it.

Just asking said...

I should have kept reading, I see it was already pointed out at 8/15/19, 1:26 PM.

Btw, Chuck, the 4chan snark would have been more relevant if you had said 8chan instead.

Ralph L said...

I'll repeat my mention of the red knee in last night's cafe. He should have used pads.

that wagging finger

Not just wagging but bent.

FullMoon said...

The artist she now works for (after maternity leave) has been bed ridden for 6 months, yet he is still creating "art" which is actually done by "Assistants."

By withholding the artists name, you are complicit in the fraud. Your daughter even more so.

FullMoon said...

This is funny, I don't care who you are.


Pardner, let me just tell you that us trail lawyers got no time to be chasin’ no ambulances. Not with the ropin’ and the herdin’ and the brandin’ and the cowboy yodelin’ that we got to do. ‘Round the ol’ campfire, we talk about how we can get better federal legislation to crack down on interstate cattle rustlin’.

Drago said...

LLR and Noted Liar Chuck: "You all think I wish to defend or support Clinton? Never. I think they are both lying scumbags. I won’t defend them."

You've done it over and over again after your attempts to deflect every negative story about the Clinton's onto a republican you despise (which is many).

Your continuous use of "mistatement" to describe Stolen Valor Blumenthals serial lies over many years is a clear giveaway.

Whenever Chuck posts, Reid Hoffman smiles....

Bay Area Guy said...

Yeah, it is funny. Buried in that mind of his is a high humor lobule.

It's an eternal battle for his soul: do I offer high quality incisive humor or do I argue with Drago about proper pecan pie protocols?

What's a man to do?!!?

Drago said...

Just Asking: "It was mentioned in two separate posts, three hours before you told us nobody has mentioned it."

LLR Chuck, like all democrat underground leftists, is unconcerned with what was actually written. He will use whatever he needs at that moment to "win" the narrative for his dem pals.

Drago said...

But again, LLR Chuck's entire purpose here today is to get everyone off of talking about the Clinton's and off of any discussion item that reflects badly on the democrats.

As it is every single day.

Fen said...

'Trumpist/4Chan commentariat'

Anyone have that on their Chuck bingo card?


hmmmmmmm..... Nope.

I just need:
You're a Trump Cultist
Have You No Shame?
Muh Principles

Anonymous said...

Blogger FullMoon said...
This is funny, I don't care who you are.


Pardner, let me just tell you that us trail lawyers got no time to be chasin’ no ambulances. Not with the ropin’ and the herdin’ and the brandin’ and the cowboy yodelin’ that we got to do. ‘Round the ol’ campfire, we talk about how we can get better federal legislation to crack down on interstate cattle rustlin’.

Yup. Chuck's a tool, but you gotta tip your hat to this one.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Fernandistein said...
Devil with the blue dress on.

Somebody had to say it."

Damnit, you beat me to the punch.

The Vault Dweller said...

I looked at a zoomed-in image of the bookcase behind Bill Clinton, and I think the JFK image is supposed to be a small bust of JFK, not a picture or a painting. Not that it probably matters much.

So I saw from the source that the painting was in Epstein's home as early as 2012. And I also saw the painting was originally made public when Petrina Ryan-Kleid, the artist, exhibited it in part to earn her Master's in Fine Arts. Now when I saw this, I looked up the artist, originally wondering if she had been some young, attractive 23 or 24 year old woman that Epstein might have pursued and bought the painting as part of that pursuit. But looking at her picture from her 2012 exhibit, she was too old for Epstein's tastes. In hindsight I thought even if she had been 23 or 24 she would have still been probably 10 years too old for Epstein's taste.

But what did occur to me is that the artist was old enough to have had an informed, adult opinion that was formed at the time of the Clinton presidency. These opinions generally fall into two camps; the Clintons were lying, manipulative, hucksters and the Clintons were good for the people who unfortunately got caught up in a scandal that was blown out of proportion. Given the artist living in Manhattan, the non-hostile and non-evil appearance of Bill in the painting, and the fairly neutral title of the piece, 'Parsing Bill Clinton', I'm thinking the artist falls into the latter category for opinions on the Clinton Presidency.

This is also not a portrait of Bill Clinton as he appeared when he was in office. This is an older Bill Clinton, likely how he appeared around 2012. Again, I think this indicates the artist is trying to give their historical retrospective of Bill Clinton. And I think JFK bust in the background frames how the artist views Clinton's presidency. JFK is generally viewed as a positive, good, or even great president in history even though history also recognizes his sexual improprieties in office. I think the artist views Clinton the same way and wants the viewer to see Clinton in that same way. Someone else had mentioned the apparent redness on one of Bill Clinton's knees. I don't if that is intentional or not, but I also think the artist is trying to say while Bill Clinton may have been serviced in the Oval office, while he was in the Oval Office he also serviced you, the generic people of America.

The Vault Dweller said...

Also, what are the chances now, that this particular painting, (meaning the actual painting that hung in Epstein's house, not a reprint and not even the original by the artist,) will now fetch in the low six-figures at auction? I'd give about a 75% chance. People have bought things owned by or made by criminals before, even murderers. But it is easier for someone to tangentially associate themselves with a murderer by buying some of their memorabilia than with a pedophile.

Sebastian said...

@Althouse: "No one should wonder whether Clinton really posed for it"

Oh? Why shouldn't we? I mean, it seems unlikely, and my upthread reference to inquiring minds wanting to know was tongue-in-cheek, but still--it seems odd for the normally inquisitive and curious Althouse to declare that we should not even wonder.

"so it's not a "portrait" in the high-art sense"

Well, maybe not in the "high-art" sense, but maybe in another sense. But then, we'd be wondering if Billy Jeff did pose for it somehow.

Francisco D said...

Your art historian wife is wrong. Pollack didn't have any assistants.

I will have to get back to you on that, Cookie. She teaching today (Art - which she has taught for over 25 years).

Given that you are both liberals, I can't really lose here.

...or can I?

stlcdr said...

Ugh. Gonna have to wait for this post to fall to the second page...

Chuck said...

Blogger FullMoon said...
...

And, BTW, why does anyone believe some un named person took a photo of this at Epstein place? Reverse image search shows this on internet in 2014.


Okay, so I actually like this part of your comment. But first, let’s note that while images of “Parsing Bill” are on the internet going back many years, the image of it as it hung in Epstein’s upper east side mansion is indeed new. And that’s the whole story. At least now it is. It’s an Epstein story, not an art story. Best of all, an Epstein/Clinton story because that is what the people want. Getting people to talk about Clinton and Epstein is what sells. We see it on this comments page.

Anyway, the uncropped version of this photo of that painting shows the walls of Epstein’s home. So it is technically a new image, and newly significant is exactly where the picture resided.

The painting itself is not news, and Epstein seems to have no hand in the creation of the art; he just bought it.

The Vault Dweller said...

I would buy a painting of one of my male friends in a dress. Just to see their reaction the first time they saw it. And I think every time I saw that painting it would cheer me up.

Maillard Reactionary said...

"It was a project for the artist's MFA degree."

I believe it. In order to be granted the degree, the art has to be better than it looks.

It always is, especially this time.

Having said that, this MFA holder has now officially hit the bigtime. Perhaps the Lavender Mafia-controlled RC Church will hire her to paint a larger copy somewhere on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, among the cavorting cherubim.

Maillard Reactionary said...

Rob said (much earlier today):

"The director of the National Portrait Gallery is salivating."

Are you sure that stuff on his shirt is saliva?

FullMoon said...

Anyway, the uncropped version of this photo of that painting shows the walls of Epstein’s home. So it is technically a new image, and newly significant is exactly where the picture resided.

Well, I hate to be 'one of those people' but after fifteen minutes of looking for an uncropped image in epsteins home of parsing bill I cannot find it.

Somebody have a link so I can cross this of my list?

Just wondering if the unnamed source of photo is not another prankster.
Most important thing is that, prank or not, Clinton household and peripherals mighty embarrassed today.
Winning !

iowan2 said...

The painting itself is not news, and Epstein seems to have no hand in the creation of the art; he just bought it.

Didn't the Democrats rupture a spleen, just this week when President Trump, had no hand in the creation of a tweet, but just publicized it?

Have the commenters already talked about the bust of JFK on the bookshelf? Epstein, JFK, Clinton. Pervs of feather perv together? Epstein displayed the painting as a sign of shared values.

Drago said...

This is no exactly the first time Billy boy has been called out for wearing chicks clothes:

"FLASHBACK: Former Mistress Claimed Bill Clinton Regularly Pranced Around in Her Black Nightie

https://t.co/H4RRuOLgNB"

Just asking said...

Well, I hate to be 'one of those people' but after fifteen minutes of looking for an uncropped image in epsteins home of parsing bill I cannot find it.

Did you look at the link to the Daily Mail? It shows a photo of a doorway, and in the room through the doorway, is this painting on the wall.

There's nothing that proves it's Epstein's house, though.

iowan2 said...

So yeah; maybe the payoff for an NDA isn’t such a good idea. Especially if it were done as part of an election campaign because that raises all of the federal election law issues.

Sure, big problems with federal election laws. That's what all the Democrat media promised.
SDNY prefered to read the law, and took a pass. Un-indicted co-conspirator for sure.

Drago said...

LLR and Noted Liar Chuck: "Best of all, an Epstein/Clinton story because that is what the people want. Getting people to talk about Clinton and Epstein is what sells. We see it on this comments page."

Well well well.

A little touchy today I see.

Chuck gets this way whenever a dem/lefty is under the microscope.

The Gipper Lives said...

Israel was going to let Rep. Ilhan Omar in until she asked for one extra visa for her husband, her brother, her ex and her sponsored refugee.

Bilwick said...

That picture of Bill Clinton is pretty damn hot.

wildswan said...

"Parsing" means working out how all the words fit together in a sentence and whether that conforms to grammar; or to examine minutely. So I guess this meant to be: how does Bill conform? So I guess the sentence is "Uncle Sam Wants You" and it's become "Bill Clinton Wants You" and we know what Bill wants. He's in drag because he violated conventions that much. "I'm going out tonight in my red high heels" = party guy. Monica's dress and his wife's dress are similar because his wife and that young intern are at the same level of importance to him. Result of analysis: Compared to a good guy, Bill is really a terrible person or "A single picture is worth a thousand words,"

BUMBLE BEE said...

BACKGROUND CHECKS? Dayton Shooter was on Cocaine, alcohol and Anti-Depressants.

https://apnews.com/c11e52c94be0473d9aed759275c3febe

FullMoon said...

Did you look at the link to the Daily Mail? It shows a photo of a doorway, and in the room through the doorway, is this painting on the wall.

Aww, jeeze, saw the first pic and scrolled down to read the story. Right past the second one.

Now I believe it.

FullMoon said...

Mostly

FullMoon said...

There's nothing that proves it's Epstein's house, though.

Looks like a good subject for Snopes or one of the TV investigative shows..

answer questions.

Did Bill pose

Hillarys dress

Does it still fit

Who is Chelseas father

MadTownGuy said...

Another report on Ghislaine Maxwell's 10-20:

Seen at In-N-Out in Los Angeles - New York Post

traditionalguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
traditionalguy said...

Wow. And Rhodes Scholar Bill Clinton is supposed to be an example of being Presidential. No wonder Trump has the loyalty of the Deplorables who want authenticity.

Narr said...

So I'd like to see two hot young women (not jailbait!) getting it on, trying to impregnate one another with spurgled jizz . . .

Narr
Does that make me a bad person?

Narr said...

OK, from a grammatical standpoint, do we have a new noun-- "spurgle"? That would make my recent use of the phrase "spurgled jizz" redundant, as well as redolent of pedantry.

My apologies.

Narr
I hate it when that happens

Bill Peschel said...

Buwaya, Jordan, I was thinking of the Mask of the Red Death, too.

Poe would be proud. And fucking shocked.

(My other favorite go-to is Jane Austen, who would have bust a gut at "Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.")

Pity HST shot himself. Would he have viewed Trump as the opening of the 7th seal? Course, He would be 81 now, so he probably wouldn't have made it anyway.

Fernandinande said...

"An officer was called to Driscoll Street by construction workers who said a woman was harassing them."

Michael K said...

OT but there is now proof that Hillary's State emails were being automatically being forwarded to China intel.

Diane Feinstein, your work is done.

pacwest said...

I want Comey on "suicide" watch when he's in the slammer.

That picture of Bill is ironically funny on a lot of different levels. When it comes out in the black velvet edition I'm getting one. Not.

Francisco D said...

Your art historian wife is wrong. Pollack didn't have any assistants.

Cookie,

When you are right, you are right.

It was Andy Warhol who had his assistants do most of his painting.

Big Mike said...

I agree with Lucien; his ankles, as depicted, are lots better looking than his wife’s.

Marcus Bressler said...

"Parsing" is what the media called Bill Clinton's testimony and statements on the Lewinsky affair. Did someone bring this up earlier? I did not see it, so apologies if repeated. That reference is what I think the artist meant when she titled the painting.

THEOLDMAN

Jon Ericson said...

@Marcus

Yeah, some blogger should do a post on the rise and fall of the word "parsing".

PluralThumb said...

So many wonderful minds and their reflections within the posts.

Something new, something blue.
And now their coming for you.

Beware of free porn !

Let he without sin cast the first stone.
Everybody must get stoned.

Bill, you're no uncle Sam, wtf buddy ?

NYC trailer trash rookies,
cover your ass'.

Although, bathing donkeys in a bathtub was once illegal.

Fantastic !


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