A Look Back in Time

George Washington High School in San Francisco has a collection of murals depicting the legendary first president. However, this may not be the case for long. Students and community members have submitted complaints to get at least some of the murals taken down. This mural controversy is supposedly because they have traumatizing effects.

The murals went up in 1936, in honor of George Washington being the name of the school. At the time, no one expected the images to be considered dangerous. Victor Arnautoff assumed the role of painter for the school. He is an excellent muralist, hailing from Russia. Despite his foreign roots, he became a prolific painter in California.

He was a member of the San Francisco Art Association and the California Society of mural painters. Victor worked in the Bay area for most of his time in the United States, before returning to Russia after his wife’s death in the 1960’s. Supposedly, the murals required 10-12 hours of work a day, and took ten hours to complete. Victor used the buon fresco process, which was very rare and highly difficult. Upon completion, the murals were famous along the Pacific Coast.

If removal measures are passed, they have vowed to fight it.

Victor Arnautoff did not avoid sensitive imagery in his paintings. Part of the George Washington mural depicts him pointing towards a working slave. There are also depictions of slaves working in cotton fields, as Caucasian men are performing skilled labor. This was the first of multiple controversial images. There is also another image of a Caucasian man and Native-American smoking a peace pipe. A tomahawk and dead Native Americans are in front of them. This image was clearly meant to depict the disarmament of the Native Americans, and is rather brutal.

The Moral Issues of Westward Expansion

Officials concluded that the images are offensive to Native Americans and blacks. Others argue that it is not advocating for the actions of George Washington and should stay up to reflect on the moral issues of westward expansion. According to The College Fix, a Reflection and Action Working Group was composed to debate the mural’s future. It was composed of local Native Americans, students, educational representatives, historians, etc.

The George Washington High School Alumni Association is taking the threat of removal very seriously. If removal measures are passed, they have vowed to fight it. They also argue that the images can prompt discussion and help shape the future morals of the country. The future of the murals is still up in the air, as this is a difficult issue to resolve. History is a precious thing to hold on to and learn from. Just as there is a Holocaust Museum and people commonly discuss the evils of history, the mural remaining can be justified.

More on the mural controversy coming soon.