As you may recall, the Jorit's new mural representing the Russian writer Fëdor Dostoevskij, work that was built on the facade of high school of Fuorigrotta Augusto Righi.
The Italian-Dutch artist had decided to paint it for send a message of peace and solidarity, something not perfectly understood by Russian President Valdimir Putin, who learned about the mural and praised it, misunderstanding Jorit's intentions.
Indeed, Jorit's gesture is aimed at expressing solidarity towards the teacher Paolo Nori whose course on Dostoevsky had been suspended from La Bicocca University in Milan, certainly not to express closeness to Putin.
Putin's words praising the mural
During his speech at a press conference with cultural operators, the Russian President expressed himself as follows:
I think many know, have seen, how in Naples a street artist recently painted on the wall of a building the portrait of the now canceled in the West Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. It still gives hope, that through people's mutual sympathy, through a culture that connects and unites us all, the truth will surely find its way.
Jorit's true intentions
As mentioned, Jorit not only wanted to express solidarity with the teacher whose course on Dostoevsky had been canceled, a reckless gesture that tramples on freedom of expression and censors culture, but he also wanted to underline the importance of Peace as a universal message. He certainly does not approve of Russian military action against Ukraine.
The University of Milan made a serious one gaffe canceling and then restoring the course, in the wake of the bad impression, deciding to integrate it with the inclusion of Ukrainian authors.
The artist wanted to send “a message because the culture is not mere sectorial notionism or flat dialectics "and culture itself is a fundamental universal value, of its humantribe, therefore also Dostoevsky is World Heritage Site.
In addition, Jorit has also created another large mural in Salerno entitled "Peace", precisely against war in all its forms.
Dostoevski, deported and convicted author
Recall that Dostoevsky was a Russian author who underwent a arrest and a death sentence, later eliminated and replaced with one deportation to Siberia. The face made by Jorit shows us just a suffering face, that of a man who suffered so much because of the fear of the death penalty which was then transformed into terrible forced labor. Events that have marked him throughout his life.
The face on the facade of the Fuorigrotta high school presents the typical and famous ones tribal stripes that Jorit draws on his subjects, to represent themembership to that human tribe of which we are all a part, our humanity.
Cover photo credit: AP / Darko Vojinovic
