Inauguration Day
Every painting in Chronicle of an Unquiet Age documents the defining events, people, and issues that shaped its moment in history. Created in real time as events unfolded, each work serves as both an original oil painting and a historical record, reflecting the belief that the news of today is the history of tomorrow.
TRTA-2020-023 | January 2021 | Oil on Canvas | 34" x 26"
The twenty-third work in the Vision 2020 series captures the inauguration of President Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, marking the formal transfer of power after one of the most contentious elections in modern American history. Held under extraordinary security and pandemic restrictions, the ceremony symbolized both renewal and national strain.
A fractured American flag indicates the division of America. References to security barriers, masked crowds, and prominent public figures reveal how the event unfolded under conditions unlike any previous inaugurations. The promise of "Unity" by Joe Biden was anything but. 25,000 troops were on guard in DC. Illegal caravans began amassing at the Southern Border as Biden stops contruction of the Border wall, Stops the Keystone Pipeline. In 10 days Biden would sign 40 Executive Orders.
This painting preserves the atmosphere of tension, and expectation that surrounded the day.
Joe Biden said "days of darkness are ahead." Trump gives his farewell speech at Joint Base Andrews saying "Have a good life, we will be back in some form."
