Happy Easter, you cartoon-loving heathens!

Just like J.C. himself, Pop Culture A.D.D. is back in action after a short Easter break.

Now that I’ve already committed just a tiny bit of sacrilege, it’s probably a good time to talk a bit about a bit of religious-themed awesomeness that recently popped up on the pop culture radar down in San Diego. I wasn’t going to bother talking about it just in case the topic or my thoughts on it were deemed offensive but, you know, the Lord hates a coward, so what the hell.

The religious-themed awesomeness in question is an oil painting by Dallas artist and California Lutheran University graduate Glen Tarnowski and is currently on display in a Chuck Jones Gallery in sunny San Diego. Chuck Jones, you may recall, is the late, legendary Warner Bros. artist / cartoonist / director / demigod responsible for some of the very best Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies episodes in existence.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words and I’ve got other things to do than type a thousand words describing a painting, here is Tarnowski’s The Gathering, resplendent in its oil-painted glory:

Just for the hell of it, here’s the inspiration behind it, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper:

Speaking to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Chuck Jones Gallery national sales director Mike Dicken had this to say after the gallery started receiving 10 to 12 complaints a day by phone as well as a few anonymous letters expressing concern: “We never intended to offend anyone. Most people think it is fun and amusing, but five per cent are pulling their hair out.”

Now that you’re up to speed, Pop Culture A.D.D. is proud to present our Top-5 Mostly Heresy-Free Random Thoughts on The Gathering:

1. What the hell is The Grinch doing there? Why in God’s name does he still have his Santa outfit on when everybody else at the table is on robes? Seriously, it’s freaking me out.

2. According to the Union-Tribune, Tarnowski defended his Bugs & Co. as Jesus & Co. homage by saying that, “God loves people so much that even if we were all cartoon characters, he would have come to us, perhaps in the form of Bugs Bunny.” Go smoke a joint and think about that little concept for a while if you want your mind blown.

3. In The Last Supper, Judas is the third person to the left of Jesus. In The Gathering, the character who takes the place of Judas is none other than that hunter of wascally pwahphets, Elmer Fudd. Instead of saying “One of you shall betray me”, maybe Bugs said “One of you shall be attracted to me when I cross-dress”.

4. The Chuck Jones Gallery receives 10 to 12 complaints a day about this thing? Good Lord. Did San Diego run out of gay and lesbian couples, stem-cell researchers and sexual imagery on TV? How come these people have so much time on their hands?

5. The Road Runner gets to take the place of John the Apostle or Mary Magdalene, depending on whether you believe Leonardo da Vinci (one of the most diversely talented, brilliant people to have ever walked the earth) or The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown (that guy who writes cheesey thrillers).