Paintings
Accompanying letter mailed to President Zelenskyy with the painting.
May 4, 2023
Dear President Zelenskyy,
It is my privilege to write to you, but with a deeply somber heart, with a message of deep appreciation and acknowledgement. This horrible war, that has been thrust upon you and your people, brings the world to its darkest days in my lifetime. It goes without saying that the atrocities Ukrainians must endure, simply to survive and remain a self-determining people, are simply beyond words. Russia’s illegal and brutal invasion is an outrage to the entire free world and the rule of international law. What kind of world do we live in when so much power is in the hands of so few, and that power is so immense that it can take the lives of so many? A tragedy would be the loss of only one innocent life, but what has happened in this war is simply outside of the realm of comprehension. You and your people have been thrust into hell on Earth, and you are left with only one choice; defend yourselves and your freedom.
The hardships you and your people face are unimaginable. Teachers forced to pick up arms to defend their families. Plumbers and bankers digging trenches to shield themselves from flying shards of metal. Musicians and farmers fighting complete strangers to the death. What is this hell that one crazed individual has forced upon us? Why? Because he thought he could steal everything from the Ukrainians in a matter of hours and the world would eventually forgive him and carry on, like we did after the invasion of Crimea? The greed. The impudence. The heartlessness. The complete disrespect for human life. Yet, Ukraine still resists, more than one year later, and carries on to fight another day.
We cannot stop at only acknowledging the invasion of your land, because, as you know better than anyone, there were crimes committed that were so gruesome, so heinous, that they must be faced directly in the International Criminal Court. The atrocities must be spoken out loud. We need to look the perpetrators straight in their eyes and hold them accountable. The world needs to know about the torture. The rapes. The looting. The beheadings. The forced deportations. In the faint shadows of the Nuremberg trials, there will be a new reckoning for our world’s history books. Justice, as much as humanly possible, will eventually be served and we can only hope that some of the pain in the hearts of the Ukrainian people, can one day be softened.
There is a dark irony here, from my perspective as an American, imbued with our complicated web of violent interventionist history, that is not lost on me. America has been the instigators of wars and acts of aggression, as far back as our national story goes, but now, at this crucial moment, we are on the right side of history. I have never been more proud of my tax dollars funding the military apparatus than I am now. I’m so gratified, Mr. President, that I am in some way helping Ukraine defend itself. A percentage of every dollar that I earn goes to your cause. It warms me, sir, knowing that. Yet, as we both understand, we need to do more. We need to reach further in our stockpiles. We need to scour the globe to acquire more munitions and vehicles for the Ukrainian armed forces. Advanced jets, long-range missiles, drones; Mr. President, we need to give your military everything it needs to win this war and regain your territory. All of those who have lost their lives deserve this end, and nothing short of a restoration of every inch of your land, will satisfy their ultimate sacrifice and pacify the bear once and for all.
Your trip to speak to my government’s Congressional body was something that moved me deeply, Mr. President. I felt the electricity when you entered the room and the warmth of your graciousness as you addressed me, and the rest of the American people. Your words stirred me, sir, but more than your words, it was your strength. I thought to myself as I watched and listened; how could he not drop a tear? He has been through so much. His people are fighting for their lives and there he is, stoic and appearing unshaken. I then understood that you, as the face of the Ukrainian people, could only show strength and courage. This is what you had to do, and I eventually understood why. You mentioned the Battle of Saratoga in your speech. That is my hometown, Mr. President and I grew up looking at the monuments and pondering the history behind them. Yet I am one of the lucky ones living so far from war. I will never pretend to truly understand what the Ukrainians are going through. It is something that I just can’t truly comprehend. I am an artist and a professor. I can stand in my comfortable and safe home as a simple advocate for peace. That said, my distinct privilege and the safety of my body, and the bodies of my loved ones, makes me just a lucky outsider. I have never slept in a trench in the cold or fired a weapon at another human being. As you said in your speech, this heinous invasion will not wait, but you and your people are forced to act. Ukraine stands strong and your courage inspires us all.
Lastly, accompanying this letter is my gift to the Ukrainian people. I am giving, what I personally do best, my creative vision of not only what is both inevitable and just, but also a painting that is hopefully cathartic for you to view, as the hearts of so many now burn with a guttural and justifiable thirst for revenge. I cannot imagine how extreme this yearning is for you and your people, given that I feel this burning at a distance of 5,000 miles from the war zone, and not having personally lost a single friend or loved one. I have made no attempt to soften or hide the gore in my painting. In fact, quite the opposite. As the lone instigator of the war sleeps comfortably in his freshly-washed sheets and comfortable warm bed, night after night, people are dying in the most gruesome ways imaginable. The painted figure of this person, in what could be the moments directly before, or directly after his death, haplessly failed at applying the tourniquet to his wounds. In my creative vision, after being deposed, he was afforded no extra gear or special equipment, forcing him to live and die like all the other human beings that he has condemned to the same fate. As you know, only when this happens, either literally or metaphorically, can we begin to think about turning the page towards peace and towards a new beginning. We will move on without the many thousands of Ukrainian souls that have sacrificed themselves for a future worth living, a future defined by freedom and self-determination. They will always be remembered. Mr. President, we are with you. We are with you now, during your darkest days, and we will be with you when the dawn rises to welcome the first day of peace.
Respectfully and with deep solidarity,
Seth Goodman