Too Close for Comfort
By Gabriella Rice
Op-Ed
Rokeby Venus or The Toilet of Venus, Venus at her Mirror, Venus and Cupid (c. 1647–51). Oil on canvas, 122 × 177 cm (48 × 49.7 in). National Gallery, London. © Diego Velázquez, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
On the morning of 6 November, two Just Stop Oil activists took a hammer to Diego Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus. After the activists struck numerous blows to the glass protecting the painting, they addressed the surrounding crowd: “Women did not get the vote by voting, it is time for deeds, not words. "Politics is failing us. It failed women in 1914, and it is failing us now. New oil and gas will kill millions. If we love art, if we love life, if we love our families, we must Just Stop Oil" (Just Stop Oil Twitter).
The actions were broadcasted by a post from the organization’s X (formerly known as ‘Twitter’) account stating, “Our government have revealed plans for MORE oil licenses, knowing it will kill millions. In response, two supporters of Just Stop Oil smashed the Rokeby Venus—slashed by Mary Richardson in 1914.” The tweet shows no condemnation of the act, only support.
“If we love art, if we love life, if we love our families…” —Just Stop Oil Twitter x
This act of vandalism—aggression—is the latest in a string of attacks against works of art. Last October, members of Just Stop Oil threw paint on Van Gogh’s 1888 Sunflowers. The setup for the vandalism was the same—two activists entered the National Gallery in Britain, attacked a painting, and then called upon onlookers to “Just Stop Oil.” Just Stop Oil stated they knew about the protective glass covering van Gogh’s Sunflowers and knew that no permanent damage would befall the work when it was covered in soup.
But what does this mean for the current act of aggression? Just Stop Oil knows about the protective glass and purpose for its use, yet has chosen to utilize it as a scare tactic. Artworks can no longer sit safely behind the barrier. Just Stop Oil and its followers are knowingly endangering these works, despite claiming their love for art.
The Rokeby Venus has undergone its fair share of iconoclasm. In 1914, women’s suffrage activist Mary Richardson slashed the work nine times with a meat cleaver. Her reasoning? “I have tried to destroy the picture of the most beautiful woman in mythological history as a protest against the government for destroying Mrs. Pankhurst, who is the most beautiful character in modern history” (Loxton, 2022).
Richardson’s words echo those of the Just Stop Oil activists. No longer is this painting a symbol of relaxing beauty, self-reflection, and self-acceptance. It has become a target for any anger against the government.
But what does the government have to do with this work of art? The Gallery is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, but few people in this department have a say in environmental policy (National Gallery, 2023, p. 10). The actions seem to be a call to action for the public to stand up against the British government. Once again, this call seems to fall on deaf ears, enraging rather than encouraging the public.
Broken Glass and Broken Faith
I began work on numerous articles speaking on the works of environmental protests against works of art. Unfortunately, each time I am close to finishing, another work is targeted, and I have to start all over.
In each article, I try to end with a statement of common ground. I studied environmental science in school and learned about the cataclysmic effects of ignoring climate change. I, too, count myself as somewhat of an activist and have taken part in many marches. However, with each headline and each article of attacks towards art, the more removed from the cause I feel.
How can Just Stop Oil possibly be categorized as a nonviolent organization when their acts feel so targeted and so personal?
As an art historian and someone who loves and connects deeply to art, I cannot help but feel attacked just as the painting was. I feel as though the activists have taken it a step too far, breaking not only the glass of the painting but my faith in the environmental activism movement.
As these attacks against art escalate, it is only fair to ask, “When will they finally move past the glass barrier and attack the art itself?”
Sources:
Home – Just Stop Oil. Just Stop Oil – No More Oil and Gas. (2023, November 4). https://juststopoil.org/
Just Stop Oil [@JustStop_Oil]. (2023, November 6). 💥 SUFFRAGETTE PAINTING SMASHED 💀 Our government have revealed plans for MORE oil licences, knowing it will kill millions. In… [Video Attached] [Tweet] https://twitter.com/JustStop_Oil/status/1721493745781113173
Loxton, A. (2022, October 10). Velázquez’s “Rokeby Venus”: A vision of female beauty. History Hit. https://www.historyhit.com/culture/the-rokeby-venus-velazquezs-vision-of-female-beauty/#:~:text=Velázquez%27s%20painting%20is%20now%20commonly,of%20the%20most%20popular%20exhibits.
The National Gallery, London. (2023, March). HC 1610 – The National Gallery Annual Report and accounts for the year ...r. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/media/5oqjfpnk/national-gallery-ara-2022-23.pdf