History Lesson (2025)

History Lesson (2025)

About the work

History Lesson (Sub-title: A Reflection on Imperialism, Education, and Violence)

This painting draws inspiration from an illustration by Jessie Wilcox Smith for a poem (Seven Ages of Childhood, by Carolyn Wells, 1909). Upon searching for the original poem, I was struck by its subtle yet undeniable traces of racism. While I recognize it as a product of its time and resist the urge to view it through a purely contemporary lens, it was still unsettling to encounter such biases embedded within seemingly innocent, beautiful art.

Initially, I considered naming the piece Maps, as it reflects on how historical conceptions of borders—sometimes rooted in mystical or arbitrary ideas—continue to shape modern conflicts. Yet, beyond these surface narratives, war is often still driven by age-old motivations such as resources and power.

Education has always been a subject of deep ambivalence for me. It is, on one hand, invaluable and necessary, yet at what point does it cross into propaganda? This tension is embodied in the presence of Lenin, whose image was ubiquitous in Soviet pedagogy. He is often remembered for the phrase "Study, study, study!"—a stark irony given that his writings were far more concerned with violent revolution than with education itself. Lenin’s legacy is filled with contradictions; though he positioned himself as an anti-imperialist, the ideology he helped establish led to a new form of imperialism—one supposedly unified by a common struggle against capitalism, yet ultimately responsible for immense violence, particularly in the former Soviet territories.

The symbolism in the painting is deliberately layered. The AK-47 magazine, with just two rounds, represents violence, though its presence—rather than a full weapon—is meant to evoke ambiguity. The girl’s blank expression, Lenin’s inclusion, and the overall composition invite multiple readings. As I painted, I was overwhelmed by a feeling that was part horror, part nostalgia—something difficult to articulate and perhaps best left to historians or curators to interpret, or even to challenge with fresh perspectives.

In the background, a map of Ukraine serves as an implicit reference to Lenin’s—and later the USSR’s—decisions that continue to shape perceptions of imperialism today.

But beyond history and politics, what unsettles me most is not simply the existence of "bad" or "evil" people. Their motivations are often clear and easily categorized. What truly frightens me is how, in certain moments, even "good" people—even us—can slip into darkness without realizing it. What shapes our motivations? What fuels our imagination? And how easily can we be led astray?

Studies and other notes