Gale Wallar

Oil on panel

12" x 9"

“This painting is the second iteration of one dating to 2017 during the first term of the 45th President. The first version depicted a statue of Alexander Hamilton situated on the south side of the US Treasury Department building, seen on the right. In the background to the left is a corner of the East Wing of the White House emitting flames and dark smoke which pervades the scene. The flames were intended as a metaphor for the chaos and combustibility of that administration.

The current state of this painting reflects the destructiveness and disregard for the rule of law by the 47th president and his administration. The metaphorical flames have been mostly replaced by imagery of the rubble and detritus of the now demolished East Wing of the White House. The statue of Hamilton endures, but the dust and smoke of lawlessness dominate the atmosphere as the dark forces of autocracy threaten an imperiled democracy.

A republic if you can keep it. A democracy if we can save it. An autocracy if we allow it.