There are the many many paintings hanging on the wall of the long tunnel that runs between the US Capital building and the House offices. One of them has gotten quite a bit of attention lately. Indeed, the painting has been taken off the wall and hung back on the wall at least three times since yesterday.
So annoyed about it, “ Louisiana Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, threatened the Republicans who have been taking the painting down: “We may just have to kick somebody’s ass and stop them.”[…]
Never mind that kicking ass over a painting depicting violence is sadly ironic. Let’s talk about art and free speech and this painting. The painting, which won first prize in a high school art contest, contains many images: a dove, a crow, a Beauty Shop, a peace sign, the St Louis arch, to name a few. There is a lot of symbolism to consider in this painting.
The images that stand out to the people complaining about the painting are the police officers with pig heads. Not subtle. No wonder it grabs the eye. What also grabs the eye in this painting is a figure, a black man holding scales and wearing a graduation cap, suggestive of Mike Brown, hanging like Christ on a cross.
The painting has apparently been hanging on the tunnel wall for some six months. Why no one has noticed it and complained till now is unclear. What is clear is that we need to talk about art and free speech- again. People are offended because depicting police officers with pig heads is disrespectful to police officers. Is that a good enough reason to take the painting down? Surely there are other paintings on that wall full of paintings that disrespect somebody or something else too. Suppose there was a picture depicting cops with halos and Mike Brown with devil horns, that would be pretty offensive, wouldn’t it? Would there be demands to take that one down? Or would free speech in art prevail?
Even if it infuriates some people it is still free speech. Remember Piss Christ? That crucifix immersed in a glass of urine offered as art offended and outraged many Christians. Did discussions that flowed from Piss Christ do anything to enhance the relationship between Christians and those that think Christ belongs in urine?
Can any good come from talking about Ferguson again? Will cops and blacks come to understand each other better through the images in this teenager’s painting? Maybe. And maybe Morgan Freeman was right when he said, we can stop racism if we stop talking about it and deal with each other as fellow human beings.
Let the kid’s painting hang there.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/cops-as-pigs-painting-stolen-returned-again/article/2611376
How do we stop racism? Actor Morgan Freeman says: "Stop talking about it"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ
Painting in Capitol depicting police as pigs becomes a political football, with California politicians among the players