Cool painting. It is most unfortunate that I lack the funds to obtain ownership of such fine craft.

wow... cancer research funding. Lets get an early diagnosis, then chemo them for the next 30 years, then make billions of dollars off it.

No doctor actually wants a cure to cancer... it's their bread and butter.

capitalism ftl =(

If it wasn't for the fact this is going to a good cause, I'd probably vomit in my mouth at that price.

But in light of that, good job Bungie. Three cheers.

Hey! A Halo/Bungie story that might not incite flame!

I dont remeber a Ninja Turtle with a yellow bandana?

I'm all for charity, it's a great cause. .

but that pastel picture could be more inspired :/

@Wolf_Dog: haha

@7ucky: Oh it might. You never know what Kotaku readers + Halo equals.

anyone read the description interview at Bungie, my word, all that artsy smartsy pretentiousness
/knows its sarcasm

But, its for a good cause so more power to 'em, and i pity the fool who buys this 'work of art'

Yay, I heart Mister Chief. Many lulz have been brought to the yard by that adorable green killing machine. Too bad it's Fsking expensive.

The write up on bungie is pretty funny.

Jesus is that even art? That is really ugly. I mean I kind of understand the simple art-direction the man was going for but I bet this took him like three minutes, tops, to draw...Wow I really wouldn't see any rational human being buying this.

@magically_delicious: To paraphase Chis Rock "What's the last thing a doctor cured? Polio. You know how long ago polio was? The money's in the medicine because there ain't no money in the cure That's how you get paid, on the comeback." Anyway, for that kind of money I could some way better Master Cheif artwork but hey, to each his own.

It's going so high because the winner will get RECON aromor along with the painting...I'd buy it...If I had the monies...Add it to my "priceless" art collection, get the RECON armor, and then proceed to get my ass stomped in while playing HALO 3. RECON is like a target. It takes the "TEAM" aspect out of every game you go into alone with your RECON armor. It becomes a whorefest of guys trying to kill you and then proceed to trash-talk you if they succeed...LOL. GAWD...I love this game!

@Lumines: Dude, he's been drawing this guy for ages. There's a Mister Chief pic at the end of almost every Bungie Weekly Update. Some are quite awesome. Obviously fans of the drawings (myself included) would want a painting.

Lol, the interview is Gold.

ninja turtle face.

I think they are giving away recon armour to the winner. Is that why it's going so high?

@dexterr: No way i wouldn't buy it if i were rich. $4,ooo can get me 3 consoles, handled, & a bumch of games.

@Spiffyness: So your saying that the guy has been drawing that horrible crap-fest of a picture for ages? I didn't say that he draws horrible I just say that that particular picture is goddamn awful and looks very mediocre and quickly drawn.

I wouldn't buy it cause it's horrid looking. I know art is subjective but fuck, I drew better when I was 5.

That's the whole point of Mister Chief. To look like a 5 year old kid with no art sense, or ability to stop asking about RECON armor drew it....

The winner gets RECON armor too. So some rich 12 year old somewhere is going to sporting Recon soon. At least it is for a good cause. The interview was fucking hilarious though. Frankie FTW!

@Lumines: Actually, I think Frankie's such a horrible artist that it probably took him a whole day or so :P

It'd take me even longer.

Its too bad the Halo sucks now. Call of Duty 4 owns halo. Halo is the past.

It's just frustrating for real artists is all I'm saying. I do agree, at least it's a good cause.

@Wolf_Dog: Heh, good one.

If it's for cancer research then I definetly hope the bid goes even higher.

Whoa Frank's description gave me a serious art school flashback...

*reflexively reaches for 'A Deconstructivist's Guide To Tauren Fecal Matter'*

@Teiris2355: Was that REALLY necessary in this post? Did ANYONE ask you what you thought of Halo?

@Spiffyness: Yeah Halo is an over-rated game. Call of Duty 4 makes Halo 3 look like a Wii game.

@Teiris2355: We really couldn't get through this without someone flaming HALO?

And I can't comment on the painting...mine would be 200000 times worse haha

call me when IT'S OVER ... you know >_>

@Teiris2355: Someone is asking for a ban. And if we're all lucky he'll get his wish!

That interview is priceless: "The piece is black. The colors are illusion." Yeah, awesome.
I used to work at a large university that I don't want to mention (but I'm gonna anyway, Washington State University) and late last year I was working in the architecture building. The students there had posters up on the walls describing their projects and they usually described the buildings they were designing in language exactly like this, in all seriousness and without irony. The general douchbaggery made great entertainment during breaks.

Wow.

An auction with the sole purpose of trying to raise money to find a vaccine, not a treatment, a goddmned -cure-, for a horrible childhood cancer, and some of you pricks decide that this would be the perfect venue to rag on a videogame.

Really?

I weep for the future if -you- are it.

@magically_delicious:

A lot of doctors want to cure it, the FDA wont allow them too, since the pharmaceutical companies make the billions, and thus want to pump these people on drugs, since you cant patent natural cures.

There were a few doctors who published some natural cures in the New England Journal of Cancer Medicine, that had been threatened to have their licenses to practice medicine yanked, etc.

Yet we sit around and do nothing about it... like sheeple buying meds that are made in America for 10 times the amount of those SAME MEDS being sold in other countries. Good job American public. Mighty proactive of you as you worry about which slod to vote for in this coming election.

Frank's explanation of his artwork is a brilliant bit of satire...

The piece is black. The colors are illusion. Black is the absorption of every color in the spectrum - it steals light from the universe. Mister Chief steals color and worth from the universe. He is the black of talent.

It's great that people are willing to donate that much to charity, but I really feel sad that there are /probably/ some people that just want the painting for 4000 dollars. And the author's comment made me shiver. Reminds me of my previous English teachers...
@magically_delicious: I actually have a relatives who works in the field of drug research. I believe he's discovered a way to mroe safely treat cancer..I don't quite know the specifics of it, but anyway not all doctors are oncologists, so they aren't all making money off of cancer patients.

I don't get it. Is Mister Chief a meme I'm not aware of?

it looks a bit like a Ninja Turtle

@Ms_Poe: Really? You get recon armor? If I were rich, I would buy this and receive my armor just so I could say:

"I CAN has recon!!!"

@EnigmaNemesis:

Gods, I love conspiracy theorists.

@EnigmaNemesis: Are you guys fucking high? Maybe you should like, read an actual book, or learn some organizational theory before you spouting off conspiracy theories... Here's a fun stat for you -- the total spent on cancer research in the last 30 years is less than the amount the game industry will book at retail this year.

Without the artist Q&A this would just be an inane piece of art, but with it... that's deep, man.

Wow- that is an awful example of art.

Don't tell me I couldn't do any better - because dear god, I so can.

@omnibot2000XL: How is that "fun little stat" even coherent to what he said?

@logicaldefense:

It my not be "coherent" to what was said, but it was certainly "relevant".

"Here's a fun stat for you -- the total spent on cancer research in the last 30 years is less than the amount the game industry will book at retail this year" you say? well that's just not true; lets look at the actual numbers:

"the computer and video game industry took in about USD$7.4 billion in the US in 2006 (ESA annual report)."

"The National cancer institute's total budget for Fiscal Year 2005 was $4.83 billion. The NCI will invest an estimated $4.79 billion during Fiscal Year 2006. The budget is expected to decrease to $4.75 billion in Fiscal Year 2007. Other Federal agencies, state and local governments, voluntary organizations, industry, and private institutions also spend a substantial amount of money on cancer-related research and services"

a single cancer research organisation, in a SINGLE YEAR, spends over 2/3 of the videogame industrys total annual retail sales. I don't know where you got your 30 year statistic, but someone has been twisting the numbers. Also, if a doctor published a "natural cure" for cancer and was then struck off, it's because the cure DIDN'T WORK, or that their research methods were poor. There is no disease called "cancer", there are DOZENS of different forms with different causes and requiring different treatments. The suggestion there is a single natural cure for "cancer" is like thinking there is a cure for "germs".

You mean my cure for germs is doomed to fail?

Damnit.

@LaserJudas:

G-d I love people who live in a box!

Wait no I don't, they are part of the problem.

@EnigmaNemesis:

So, you're saying that you are part of the problem, as you've got your walls lined with tinfoil?

Don't want them sucking your thoughts