The meaninglessness of endless worrying The painting "Prince of Peace" in 1962 raised the question of why the UN is needed

The painting "Prince of Peace" was created by Harry Anderson in 1962. It is often mistakenly referred to as "Jesus knocks on the UN’s Windows" because it depicts Jesus attempting to communicate with the United Nations. Throughout his long career, Harry Anderson frequently delved into the theme of faith and religion in his works, particularly the image of Jesus. In this artwork, Anderson directly "brings down" Jesus to Earth and, through his words, poses a question to the organization that was established to resolve conflicts, fight injustice, and protect the needy. This question is remarkably simple: "What are you doing? Why do you matter to humanity?"

The author ironically expressed about his painting, "The meaninglessness of endless worrying". From this statement, we can infer that in 1962, Harry Anderson saw and understood how the UN did not live up to what it declared, it did not fulfill its intended purpose.

On the organization’s website, you can find numerous articles and photographs showcasing its active work. Yet even today, looking at this painting created over 60 years ago, we realize that Anderson was partially right. Since February 24, 2022, the most extensive and bloodiest war of the 21st century has been unfolding in Europe — Russia’s war against Ukraine. Instead of decisive protest and subsequent concrete actions, the United Nations expresses the same ‘endless worrying’ as it did 60 years ago. Representatives of Russia, which annexed the territory of another country, killed and assaulted peaceful citizens, deported children from Ukraine, and daily shell Ukrainian cities with rockets and drones, are still among the UN members. They are given a voice and listened to. It seems absurd to any intelligent person. Many voice this openly, yet the UN continues to engage with Russia, deaf to the voices of the suffering people in Ukraine.

According to Anderson, only Jesus has a chance to bring a sense of reality back to the UN.

Harry Anderson

Harry Anderson was born in Chicago in 1906. He reached significant heights as a successful illustrator and popular artist. Most of his paintings are vibrant and cheerful, with a particular lively aftertaste. By his 30s, Anderson became one of the most sought-after illustrators, collaborating with many well-known publications.

The painting "Prince of Peace" is often referred to as "Jesus knocks on the UN’s Windows". There have been cases where the painting was copied without crediting the author’s name.

There is also a lesser-known second version of the painting. It is darker, depicting Jesus not in a calm and peaceful manner, gently reminding people of their duties, but as a force capable of instilling fear in those who not only disobey God’s commandments but have lost all moral and human values.

Will Jesus ever knock on the Kremlin’s door? It would be interesting to see such a painting.

By Sergey Fomkin

2023