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Not "combat boots" but clunky hiking boots. What's also interesting is that Rummy almost NEVER sits at work, so the example photo the artist used to illustrate the guy is a rarity in itself. He normally stands--he works (heh, heh, soon we will say WORKED) at a draftsman's table. Of course, the pose IS a clear insult, as anyone who has lived in the area knows:
Mohsen, who loves reading American magazines, said his model was a photograph he found of Rumsfeld. "The way he sat was very strange to us here in the East -- it is an insult to those around," he said.
In the Middle East, showing the soles of one's feet is considered very poor manners, so the Rumsfeld in the painting automatically offends the viewer.
The Lion of Babel atop a ruined perch sends another message.
"I decided to make the base of the statue a bookcase containing volumes on the arts, literature and knowledge left by Iraqis," he said. "Then I destroyed the base to symbolize the repeated wars and showed the papers flying through the air and changing into white birds showing love and peace to the world."
By juxtaposing his subject with ancient monuments, Mohsen sought to pit the endurance of history against the fleeting nature of man -- an apt visual statement, it turned out, in light of Rumsfeld's resignation. ...
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