George Washington, a sight you can't unsee by Grant Wood at the Whitney

In case you didn't know, Grant Wood was the one-hit wonder who painted American Gothic:

American Gothic by Grant Wood.

Grant Wood's other works are obscure. Perhaps for a reason. At the solo exhibit at the Whitney, this painting caught my attention:

Grant Wood painting of George Washington

I stared at the central theme - a young George Washington brandishing an ax after cutting down his pop's cherry tree. "I cannot tell a lie," he blabbers. This tell-all gambit seems like a totally straightforward best move, given that young George has just been caught brandishing an ax in the middle of the yard. 

Let's zoom in on the action:

Zooming in on young George

And tighter:

What head?

Aha. Now I see what is so peculiar.

If little George is so smart, why is he out cutting down cherry trees in satin Tory Burch ballet slippers? Not only are these a genuinely bad idea for ax-work, but they're also a crappy get-away choice.

I eyeballed this rendering of our founding father with a giant WTF dangling over my head. And a song came roaring out of my subconscious. It became the soundtrack for the whole damn day. As a result, I am not happy with Brad Neely. Or Grant Wood.