Completion Date: 09 January 2021
Medium: Paint & ink on acid-free mount-board
Dimensions: 30 x 40 inches
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol after the president made a speech in which he made claims of fraud in the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden. Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani called for “trial by combat”. Trump encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” and “take back our country”, and asked his supporters to march to the US Capitol. Subsequently a pro-Trump mob marched on Congress and eventually stormed the building. Congress was in session at the time, conducting the Electoral College vote count and debating the results of the vote.
The protesters breached barricades erected by police around the Capitol. Ultimately, one woman was fatally shot by an officer, and three other protesters died in medical emergencies. One police officer was also killed and more than 50 were injured during the attack, and several were hospitalized with serious injuries. Federal authorities said that they were not prepared for the unrest; however, far-right pro-Trump supporters had organized the unrest on pro-Trump far-right social media websites, including Gab and Parler, in advance. Capitol Police’s response to the rioting was harshly criticized, as was the contrast between the aggressive response of federal law enforcement to the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020.
All components are painted on acid-free mount-board, and then glued onto acid-free mount-board. Two coats of matte acrylic varnish are then applied.
