Putin Art

[Robert Chandler]

Thank you, Michele, for this extremely clear and sensible letter.  And I shall remember your "whataboutism"!

All the best,

Robert

On 1 Sep 2013, at 11:00, Michele A Berdy <maberdy at GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> In "whataboutism," you pick one aspect of a situation in Russia and find
> analogous situations in the US. In the case of Altunin's paintings, it's
> "find cases where the authorities objected to art making fun of leaders." 
> 
> And there's a slew of them - only when you look at them, you see that they
> are more different than similar. In the US, many of the cases were only
> attempts to block exhibitions, thwarted by legal action or threat of legal
> action. Or it wasn't the authorities who objected, it was the public who was
> outraged. In many of the examples, it's an issue of public funding for the
> arts - including publicly funded museums -- which has nothing to do with the
> case in St. Petersburg. In the case of Diego Rivera's piece, it was a
> privately commissioned work of art and had nothing to do with either the
> authorities or the public.  
> 
> But the biggest difference is in the consequences for the art and artist. In
> the case of Altunin - and here I must assume people don't know this, or they
> wouldn't have written what they did - the paintings were confiscated and are
> being analyzed for extremism. That could land Altunin in jail for two years.
> Or there might be an "insult to the feelings of believers" in the painting
> of the Patriarch. That's another year in jail. Or it might be "slander of
> officials" in all of them. He might face a serious jail term for his
> paintings. I don't think there were any consequences for the artists in the
> US (somewhere there may have been pornography charges, but not, I think, in
> any cases of depictions of political figures). 
> 
> Oh, right - the clown. If mandatory sensitivity training is "far too close
> to police action," then what is a 5-year jail term for a snarky painting? 
> 
> I would also like to clarify why I, personally, am critical. It isn't
> because someone - authorities or the public - objected to art or tried to
> get exhibitions closed. That happens everywhere.  
> 
> I'm outraged that an artist might face a lengthy jail term for a snarky
> painting, and that in the context of the new laws that inhibit or forbid any
> public disagreement with the authorities, apparently making jokes about them
> in art is also against the law.
> 
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Robert Chandler, 42 Milson Road, London, W14 OLD

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