Life of Washington

Life of Washington
ArtistVictor Arnautoff
Year1936
MediumFresco
MovementSocial realism
SubjectGeorge Washington
Dimensions1600 square feet
LocationSan Francisco

Life of Washington is a mural cycle in San Francisco's George Washington High School painted by Victor Arnautoff in 1936.[1] It depicts George Washington at various real and imagined points in his life. Composed of 13 panels and spanning 1600 square feet, the work was the largest mural by a single artist that the WPA funded.[2][better source needed] According to the art critic Roberta Smith, the cycle is "among the most honest and possibly the most subversive of the W.P.A. era".[3]

Since the 1960s, vignettes in two of the panels, entitled "Mount Vernon" and "Westward Vision",[4] have been controversial due to their depiction of slavery and Native Americans. Activists have sought the removal of the artwork, contending that the mural's imagery creates a hostile environment. Preservationists argue that the imagery is subversive as Arnautoff, a communist protege of Diego Rivera, was critiquing the country's colonial past.[1][5]

In 2019 San Francisco School Board voted to paint over all 13 panels. After a national uproar, the board decided to conceal the art work instead.[6][7] Subsequently the school's alumni association sued the district for violation of California's Environmental Quality Act. In 2021, a superior court judge agreed that the law had not been followed, and ruled that the mural should remain in public view.[8][9] The board initially appealed[10] that decision; however, after three board members were ousted in the recall election of 2022, a new board voted to comply with the judge's ruling. The lawsuit cost the district $525,000 in legal fees.[11]

  1. ^ a b Pogash, Carol (11 April 2019). "These High School Murals Depict an Ugly History. Should They Go?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Life of Washington by Victor Arnautoff". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. Art and Architecture. 28 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  3. ^ Smith, Roberta (2019-07-26). "The Case for Keeping San Francisco's Disputed George Washington Murals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  4. ^ "Historic WPA murals at George Washington High School are facing destruction due to controversial depictions of Native Americans and African-Americans | Richmond District Blog". 2019-04-09. Archived from the original on 2019-06-23. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Pogash, Carol (2021-07-29). "Murals at San Francisco School Should Stay for Now, Judge Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-02-10. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Tucker, Jill (2022-07-06). "S.F. school district used $525,000 aimed at facility improvements to pay for legal fight over controversial mural". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2022-07-07.