Culver City,
California
x
Every Nation Deserves A Government...
Date Made: 1991
Country: Soviet Union
Measurements: 59 cm x 90 cm; 23 1/4 in x 35 7/16 in
Jesus Christ is depicted lying on the ground with both arms extended supporting his torso; a wooden cross leans against his back; a hammer and sickle are around his neck. A shower of bright light or stars is raining down behind him, giving the impression of a comet trail or a fast moving planet. The quotation in the top left of the work reads, “Every nation has the government it deserves,” which is misattributed to Emerson. This phrase was actually written in a letter by Count Joseph de Maistre on August 27, 1811 in a disparaging reference to the new constitutional laws of Alexander I in Russia. The misattribution of the quotation to the American poet Emerson was a common misinterpretation and seen as a positive commentary on including citizens in political life as opposed to the negative views of democracy held by de Maistre. The year of the painting, 1991, was characterized by the fall of the Soviet Union and the beginning of a turbulent political era in Russia. The former Soviet government had been strictly secular, and so the fallen religious figure in juxtaposition with the contested interpretation of the quotation about the necessity of democracy reflects the uncertainty of the political and cultural environment in Russia in 1991.
Accession Number: 2009.053.061
Item Name: Painting
Credit Line: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris
Collection/Series: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris