If there is no Water in the Tap, then the Beatles have drunk 2011

This oil on canvas artwork, “If there is no Water in the Tap, then the Beatles have drunk”, was painted by the Ukranian artist Alexander Roitburd. The painting re-imagines the Beatles as orthodox Jews wearing traditional Jewish garments such as Yarmulkes and prayer shawls. The context in which this painting was made matters. It was painted in post-Soviet Ukraine. The Soviet Union controlled Ukraine for much of the 20th century, and repressed both Jewish and Ukrainian cultural expression. One way to understand this image, therefore, is as a celebration of cultural hybridity that defies this history of oppression. It plays with stereotypes and identity categories, national and religious, and, in so doing, explores new possibilities for cultural expression. Art history can help us understand the way this painting draws on earlier traditions of portraiture to ask questions about the politics of imagery. It also shows us how visual codes can convey meaning and create historical associations.