> Was the portrait inspired by Homer Simpson? <
Oh, my. You just might be right.
By the way, this whole Obama portrait thing illustrates just how pathetic the American press is. The press is supposed to be a watchdog, a bulldog even. But Obama knew that no matter how ridiculous his portrait might be, the American press would not criticize it.
Obama could have been seated naked on a turtle while shoving an orange into his ear, and the American press would have praised the portrait. But I don’t know about the British press!