The Forgotten Man

Against the background of a darkening sky, The Forgotten Manall of the past Presidents of the United States gather before the White House, as if to commemorate some great event. 

In the left hand corner of the painting sits a man. That man, with his head bowed appears distraught and hopeless as he contemplates his future.

Some of the past Presidents try to console him while looking in the direction of the modern Presidents as if to say, “What have you done?”

Many of these modern Presidents, seemingly oblivious to anything other than themselves, appear to be congratulating each other on their great accomplishments.

In front of the man, paper trash is blowing in the wind. Crumpled dollar bills, legislative documents, and, like a whisper—the U.S. Constitution beneath the foot of Barack Obama.

Jon McNaughton

painted this work, and explains his thought process in the following YouTube. As you can see, all of the modern Presidents are congratulating themselves, while our Founders are reacting in horror at what we have done. 

Here’s the ‘Tube: