- Joined
- Feb 19, 2018
If you're interested, Khrushchev's comments during the tour were written down and can be read here.
Absolutely based commentary. I love how his first instinct is to ask where the artist's parents are or if he is a pedophile, as though its the one way to explain the monstrosity he sees.
The painter, Zheltovskii, comes forward.
N. S. Khrushchev: “You’re a nice-looking lad, but how could you paint something like this? We should take down your pants and set you down in a clump of nettles until you understand your mistakes. You should be ashamed. Are you a pederast or a normal man? .....................We aren’t going to spend a kopeck on this dog shit. We have the right to send you out to cut trees until you’ve paid back the money the state has spent on you. The people and government have taken a lot of trouble with you, and you pay them back with this shit.
I might have to use that expression, 'cut trees' in a similar context.
Beliutin: “I am a teacher.”
N. S. Khrushchev: “How can such a person teach? People like him should be cleared out of the teaching profession. They shouldn’t be allowed to teach in the universities. Go abroad if you want; and if you don’t want to, we’ll send you anyway. I can’t even talk about this without getting angry. I’m a patriot.”
Those who can't, teach, right?
In front of a painting by Shorts: “Why aren’t you ashamed of this mess? Who are your parents?”
Shorts gives information about his parents, mentioning that his mother is dead.
N. S. Khrushchev: “It’s a pity, of course, that your mother is dead, but maybe it’s lucky for her that she can’t see how her son is spending his time. What master are you serving anyway? Our paths are different. You’ve either got to get out or paint differently. As you are, there’s no future for you on our soil.”
No sympathy, zero!