Culver City,
California
x
Maker: Unknown
Dedicated to the Memory of Those Fallen Defending the White House
Date Made: After 8/21/1991
Country: Soviet Union
Measurements: 100.5 cm x 70.5 cm; 39 9/16 in x 27 3/4 in
A large sketch of a black and white eye takes up most of the painting, with the open eye staring right at the viewer with a single tear made up of the color of the Russian flag at one corner. In the light reflection of the pupil is the date “21.08.91,” the year of the attempted coup by the State Committee on the State of Emergency to oust Gorbachev from power. The coup began August 19th and culminated in a stand off with military intervention at the White House on August 21st, when several citizens were killed. The painting, whose title dedicates it to the “memory of those fallen defending the White House,” thus sides against the Communist coup conspirators and their desire to maintain the unified, Communist Soviet Union.
Accession Number: 2009.053.065
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