What did Van Gogh do?
It was no "Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and gray" for Vincent Van Gogh in London. Instead, Van Gogh got some soup:
A pair of climate protesters hurled tomato soup on a Vincent Van Gogh painting at London's National Gallery Friday — the latest in a series of attempts to vandalize famous artwork to speak against oil.
London's Metropolitan Police said officers arrested two people on suspicion of criminal damage and aggravated trespass.
The duo were supporters of the activist group Just Stop Oil, which engages in publicity stunts to bring the public's attention to climate change.
Publicity stunts? Well, I'm glad that we are calling a spade a spade. The story gets more interesting because apparently, the duo did it to save the planet. Yes, another couple of young people on a mission or whatever:
Louis McKechnie, 21, and Emily Brocklebank, 24, glued themselves to Van Gogh's 1889 painting, "Peach Trees in Blossom, which hangs at the Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House in London.
"A piece of art receives this protection and state concern. Whilst people's in Ethiopia, Somalia, India, Pakistan, the USA, Australia (to name a few) who are suffering from climate change NOW get ignored and left," the group wrote. "What's more important? This painting? Or a future"?!
What's more important? Let me tell these clowns what's important. Y ou need to respect the law, private or public property, and the people who enjoy looking at these art pieces. They are people, too!
Help people in Ethiopia or Somalia? Why don't these two collect some canned soup and send it to them? They need tomato soup a lot more than Van Gogh.
I'm no expert in artwork, but I guess the protesters object that sunflowers were the subject of artwork by Van Gogh. Furthermore, the protesters object to making money out selling these pieces. Or something like that! It's okay to have windmills kill birds or electric car batteries pollute the Earth in the pursuit of banning oil, but please don't you dare sell a work of art that features a flower.
Once again, we see the irrationality of this movement and why they can't persuade people, especially when Europe is about to freeze this winter for pursuing green policies. This is not about saving the Earth or the sunflower — this is lawlessness and a bunch of people who need some growing up to do.
Maybe we should throw some tomato soup on the teachers brainwashing these young people.
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Image: Van Gogh.