Art restoration is a delicate job. People huddle around a painting with hundreds of tiny brushes, carefully painting over ruined sections. They do not, however, sneak around a church and carelessly smear religious artifacts. But this is exactly what happened. An eighty-year-old woman took it upon herself to restore “Ecce Homo”, a painting by Elias Garcia Martinez depicting Jesus. The woman, Cecilia Gimenez, insists her intentions were good, yearning to restore the painting she loved. Although this may be true, many people have found her version laughable, even creating memes about it. It has gone viral. This ruined painting has drawn a lot of attention in the news. So much so that Santuario de Misericordia, the church it’s displayed in, is actually charging tourists to view the painting. In four days, the church has accumulated about $2,600. Now, Cecilia Gimenez is suing the Church because she wants a share of the profits they have earned.

Now that you’ve seen the painting, you’re probably thinking, “Which one did she paint? I can’t tell the difference! Is it the mysterious Jesus with a crown of thorns or the mouth-less ape in a hoodie jacket?” I understand your confusion. They are very similar. But Cecilia Gimenez painted only one. While supposedly getting permission from the priest to perform this restoration, I think she forgot to mention her painting talent (or lack of). It is… interesting… borderline horrific. Now that she completely ruined this painting, she wants to be paid for her services. She’s suing the church because she wants part of the profit from the painting. SU-ING!! Stephen Colbert ridicules, “That’s like hijacking a plane and demanding frequent flyer miles.” This is insanity. Do you think she’ll be granted part of the royalties? I hope not…

~ Lydia Feng