Painting the Truth

AT THE National Art Gallery in Dublin, a husband and wife were staring at a portrait that had them completely confused. The painting depicted three black men totally naked sitting on a park bench. Two of the figures have black willies, but the one in the middle has a pink Willie.

The curator of the gallery realised that they were having trouble interpreting the painting and offered his assessment. He went on for more than half an hour explaining how it depicted the sexual emasculation of black men in a predominately white, patriarchal society. “In fact,” he pointed out, “some serious critics believe that the pink willie also reflects the cultural and sociological oppression experienced by gay men in contemporary society.”
 

After the curator left, an Irishman approached the couple and said, “Would you like to know what the painting is really about?”
 

“Now why would you claim to be more of an expert than the curator of the gallery?” asked the couple.
 

“Because I’m the guy who painted it,” he replied. “In fact, there are no black men depicted at all. They’re just three Irish coal miners. The guy in the middle went home for lunch.”