Portray by Brigitte Bentele; photograph courtesy Brigitte Bentele
Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the Capitol riots in Washington, DC. For 2 artists from NYC, the event means it’s time to, as soon as once more, whip out their paintbrushes.
Lesley Friedman Rosenthal and Brigitte Bentele of the Higher West Aspect in Manhattan mark the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, rebel in Washington, DC, with highly effective and considerably unsettling artistic endeavors. Their hope is to doc a pivotal second in American historical past and spark essential conversations round politics and democracy.
Mates and artwork collaborators, the pair is energetic of their native artwork group. Each artists have devoted lots of their our bodies of labor to decoding the occasions of that notorious day in 2021, when a fired-up mob of protestors, together with many President Donald Trump supporters, stormed the U.S. Capitol constructing in an try to cease Congress from certifying the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election that was received by Joe Biden.
Portray by Lesley Friedman Rosenthal; photograph courtesy Lesley Friedman Rosenthal
A number of folks died that day and a whole bunch of Capitol law enforcement officials had been injured on account of the riots. Over 1,000 folks had been arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for his or her roles within the violence, however had been pardoned by President Trump when he began his second time period in workplace on Jan. 20, 2025.
“It’s been very important to me every year on the Jan. 6 anniversary, the horror of that day and how close we came to losing our democracy, to make sure it never gets forgotten,” Rosenthal mentioned. “So each Jan. 6, I try to find a way to memorialize and underscore what happened on that day.”
Rosenthal met Bentele at a portray workshop in 2021 following the rebel. Each girls, angered by the riots, put their brushes collectively and got here up with the thought to color photos of the day to assist guarantee it stays documented in historical past.
Portray by Brigitte Bentele; photograph courtesy Brigitte Bentele
Rosenthal mentioned she finds creative expression to be a significant solution to get on the emotional reality of some robust subjects.
“Watching the horror unfold at the Capitol just struck such terror in my heart,” she mentioned. “I was watching these beautiful places and highly symbolic buildings, the seat of our legislative power, come under attack.”
Bentele takes a distinct however equally compelling method to her work. Her work, which she shares on her artwork Instagram web page, depict acquainted scenes of Jan. 6, akin to rioters scaling the partitions of the Capitol, law enforcement officials holding again protestors, flags donning President Donald Trump’s title and different recognizable photos, all created utilizing watercolor on canvas or paper.
“To me, it was so powerful to live with that day. But also horrifying in a way,” Bentele mentioned. “To me, painting brings the importance of keeping that day alive, especially since so many people have been denying it.”
Bentele recalled being horrified whereas watching the Jan. 6 Capitol assaults unfold on tv.
Portray by Brigitte Bentele; photograph courtesy Brigitte Bentele
“I was just so shocked. I couldn’t believe what I saw,” she mentioned. “Friends were texting me, ‘Turn on your TV!’ It still gives me chills to think about it.”
The place can New Yorkers see the Jan. 6 paintings?
Each artists mentioned they perceive the varied factors of view surrounding Jan. 6. However their aim is to make use of their medium to assist guarantee the teachings from the occasion by no means get misplaced in time. They view their artwork as a type of historic documentation, a visible document that captures the stunning occasions of the historic day.
Rosenthal’s work was lately exhibited at a gallery present in Sacramento. Bentele shows her patriotic items, in addition to different works, together with nonetheless lifes and landscapes, on Instagram.
Each artists mentioned they perceive the varied factors of view surrounding Jan. 6. However their aim is to make use of their medium to make sure the occasion isn’t forgotten. Rosenthal’s portray consists of two elements, symbolically representing democracy on one aspect and its potential for collapse on the opposite.
“I love our country,” she mentioned. “It’s nonetheless a piece in progress, clearly, however I’m hoping the work depict the majesty of the Capitol constructing and the whole lot that it represents on the suitable aspect of the portray after which virtually the fragility of it below the hand of the offended mob on the left aspect.
In the meantime, a number of NYS lawmakers are utilizing politics to maintain the moments of Jan. 6 alive. State Sen. John Liu and Meeting Member Charles Lavine, each of whom characterize NYC and Nassau County, respectively, launched laws final month that may require public faculties to show college students in regards to the stunning and tragic second in historical past.
The invoice is at present within the Senate and Meeting committees, and should progress via the legislative course of earlier than it could change into state legislation.
