Bugs Bunny’s Last Supper

"The Gathering" by Glen Tarnowski

“When I considered painting The Gathering, it occurred to me no matter who or what we are, God would find a way to draw us to Him. If we were all cartoon characters, He could have come to us as Bugs Bunny. God wants to have a relationship with us and wants to Gather us to Him.” – Glen Tarnowski

I had to see it for myself.

At The Chuck Jones Gallery in the part of San Diego known as Old Town, a painting hangs on a wall, generating controversy. Based on Da Vinci’s famous work, “The Last Supper,” artist Glen Tarnowski painted “The Gathering,” wherein he substituted Jesus and His disciples with characters originally drawn by Chuck Jones. They were classic cartoon characters from both film and television.

"If we were all cartoon characters, He could have come to us as Bugs Bunny."

The center of the controversy surrounding the painting is a group of people who take offense at Jesus Christ being depicted as Bugs Bunny. Ironically, none of them seem to be voicing offense that Da Vinci depicted Jesus Christ as a white man.

The woman who worked in the gallery approached me with some trepidation. She didn’t know where I came down on the issue, and, as she would tell me, she had reason to be cautious.

Aaron Sorkin once wrote of the “pajama people,” those who have too much free time in their homes and, utilizing the anonymity of cyberspace, launch nasty attacks against whoever they deem inferior.

One of the pajama people fired off an e-mail to the director of the gallery. As it was described to me, the e-mail was a hate-filled rant against everyone from homosexuals to Muslims, all under the pretense of feeling offended by a perceived attack on Christianity. The author of the e-mail didn’t bother to read the quote from Tarnowski, nor did the author bother to research the artist’s Christian background. The pajama people, you see, can’t be bothered with research.

The woman who worked in the gallery clenched a bit when I told her I was a religion teacher, but unclenched when I told her how much I appreciated the painting. I asked if there would be any prints made available, since the $19,800 asking price is a little out of my price range. I was told there were clearance issues, both with Warner Brothers (who owns the rights to Bugs), but also with the estate of Dr. Seuss (who owns the rights to the Grinch, who assumes the role of Judas in the painting). If prints are made available, it is possible if not likely that certain characters will have to be substituted.

In the last two weeks, I found two people offended by the painting. Neither of them knew of the artist’s background or intent. In their eyes, Jesus could not be a beloved cartoon bunny. When I then asked them if they’d dyed eggs or bought chocolate bunnies to commemorate the death and resurrection of the Lord, I was told that they had. I chose not to press the issue further.

If we were all Legos, He could come to us as a Lego

As a Christian, I cannot take offense at artistic (even comedic) depictions of Jesus. I suppose there are many reasons for this, but I think the most important one is that I don’t think Jesus would lose any sleep over it. Again, if He were to get in a snit over the way he was portrayed, I’d have to believe that, since Jesus was, in all likelihood, a man of color, He would be more upset at the disservice done to Him by Da Vinci than by Tarnowski.

If we were all Peeps, He could come to us as a human... wait a minute...

The media has made this painting a big story, bigger than the actual controversy. The pajama people who are offended by the painting make up a small segment of the population. As for me, I applaud Mr. Tarnowski for taking two things I enjoy, Easter and cartoons, and finding a way to combine them.

Now, when will those prints be available to order?